Azure and Opals
by LovesDragons
Summary: Bilbo isn't what the dwarves expect him to be. He's been on adventures and keeps dangerous company, like the woman they find at his home. She unwillingly accompanies them, but refuses to show her face or tell her real name. Nori finds her curious. Bagginshield, Nori/OC, and other parings to be decided. M for later content and I'm paranoid. Title change from She Takes and She Gives
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer, I own nothing except my OC. Reviews welcome.**_

Bilbo Baggins was, to say the least, shocked when he caught a whiff Gandalf's familiar scent of pipe weed and magic. He had been sitting outside his hole smoking his own pipe, eyes closed and enjoying the sunshine, when that scent reached his nose and his eyes bolted open to see the wizard far down the lane below him.

_Wind must have carried his scent here._ The were-hobbit thought, and he puffed his pipe as the wizard approached.

"My dear Bilbo." Gandalf smiled. "How are you today?"

"Fine." He replied carefully. The wizard almost always seemed to want something. "Been a long time since you were in these parts, I was beginning to wonder if you were still in business." He allowed himself a small smile as the wizard's eyebrows drew together in an angry frown.

"I don't know where else you think I'd be." He replied stiffly. "But enough of that, I'm looking for someone to share in an adventure."

Bilbo raised his own eyebrows, the tip of his pipe dropping from his mouth in apparent surprise. In truth, his heart beat faster in excitement. It had been so long since he'd been outside the Shire, but some of his travels, and the Fell Winter, had left him wary of more adventures. Still, he felt some of the old Bilbo stirring into life and held it at bay, for now.

"I don't believe anyone west of Brie has much interest in adventures." He stood, fishing some letters from the mail box. "Nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things, make you late for dinner!"

Gandalf sighed. "Come now Bilbo. It will be good for you to get out of the Shire." He lowered his voice. "To run with a pack again."

Bilbo froze. While most in the Shire were happy, ordinary hobbits, the two of the clans had been were-hobbits, the Tooks and the Baggins. His shift came from his mother's side, a clan of werehyenas. He could not take the shape of an eagle, which had been the Baggins' shift. Be that as it may, hyenas were social animals and Bilbo had not run with a pack, a were one at least, since his parents' death. It made him lonelier then he'd like to admit.

"And the people you want me to go with, I assume they are weres?"

"Yes. Wolves to be exact." Bilbo snorted. Different species of were didn't usually get along well. "Not to worry, it will be perfectly fine."

Bilbo snorted again, than glared at the wizard. "How many?"

Gandalf grinned. "Fourteen counting myself. They'll arrive tomorrow evening."

"I'll see them, but I won't promise anything, understand?"

Gandalf nodded. "I understand perfectly Bilbo. Until tomorrow then." He gave a low bow and swept off.

Bilbo sighed, than suddenly stiffened as his nose picked up another familiar scent, or rather, the absence of one. On top of his house rose a figure, cloaked in black. For a second it wavered, than collapsed, falling from the roof of his house to the doorstep as he rushed up the stairs.

"Oh dear." He whispered, spotting the bloodstains on the doorstep. "What have you gotten yourself into this time Umbra?"

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	2. Chapter 2

Bilbo spent all of the next day preparing for his visitors. In the morning, he headed down to the market, his nose twitching eagerly at all the different smells. Bilbo mostly stayed in his hole, and the smells were new to him every time he left. He saw some of the more proper hobbits back away discreetly and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Hyenas weren't popular in the Shire or anywhere else really, and people made their dismay that he took after his mother more then his father clear.

He greeted the few that treated him cordially, and was even able to get some help carrying all the food to his hole, for while Bilbo ate a lot, he didn't eat as much as most hobbits and his pantry was not prepared for fourteen guests, fifteen counting the unexpected one who was currently sleeping in one of his spare rooms. He made sure to buy lots of meat, Gandalf had said that the others coming were weres and that meant carnivores. He smiled softly, his mother had met many other weres during her adventures and he was sure she'd like to meet these to.

He yelped as a drop of hot oil hit his hand and cursed softly. That's were getting lost in his head got him. He hurried to put the fish on the plate with the carrots and potatoes and move away from the oil. He walked to the dinning room and paused at the pantry; it had been stuffed chock full of food. Bilbo grinned; he had enough to feed an army of weres, even if they were bears.

But not even a small werecat had arrived; it was evening, and since Bilbo had been working all day he felt that there was nothing wrong with eating a little. Besides, it would be rude for a host to be starving when his guests arrived.

He had just sat down with his fish when the doorbell rang. Bilbo sighed. Looked like the fish was going to someone else. Shame, it smelled wonderful. He stood and walked towards the round door, making sure that his simple shirt and trousers were relatively unmarked from his long hours of cooking. He opened the door.

Bilbo had only the time to think, _Wow, a were-dwarf,_ before said were bowed. "Dwalin at your service." His grey eyes scrutinized the hobbit. "I didn't think the wizard would lead us to a different were."

Bilbo raised an eyebrow, but said politely, "Gandalf told me to expect werewolves, but I have no say over what he told you." He opened the door wider for the dwarf to enter. "I doubt anyone does. Shoes and at least the heavier weapons by the door please, there's food in the dining room." He wasn't bossy, he wasn't commanding, but there was something about this were that had Dwalin putting his shoes and most of his weapons by the door. Bilbo smiled amiably and led the way to the dinning room, where the dwarf instantly tore into the fish.

"Very good this."

Bilbo smiled slightly at the complement, pushing a plate of biscuits to the dwarf and saving two for himself. Soon, the doorbell rang again.

Bilbo looked at Dwalin. "If you all arrive at this pace, it is going to be an even longer evening that I had thought." He said dryly.

The dwarf chuckled and Bilbo went to open the door again.

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	3. Chapter 3

_**Yeah this one is a bit longer then the other two but Bilbo needs to meet the rest of the dwarves.**_

Dwalin frowned as he watched the hobbit leave. His nose told him that Bilbo was a werehyena, which he admittedly didn't know much about but distrusted, and he wasn't that old but he wasn't young either, so he was probably middle age for hobbits. He didn't seem to promising aside from his cooking abilities and they already had Bombur for that. There wasn't a lot of muscle on the hobbit, and Dwalin saw no weapons, he looked like a peaceful sort, not a fighter.

He was distracted by from this train of thought by a large jar of cookies on the self. _Hmm, cookies…_

Bilbo was ignorant to the dwarf's thoughts on him, though he wouldn't have been surprised; he worked hard to maintain an unthreatening façade. In reality, he was strong even for a werehyena, and no one wanted to be on the receiving end of one of his pranks. He was very efficient when it came to enacting revenge.

He opened the door, smelling the aged werewolf even before it was fully open. The were before him had a long white beard and a twinkle in his eyes as he bowed. "Balin." He said with a smile. "At your service."

"Bilbo Baggins at yours." Bilbo replied, the Hobbit's polite side coming out. He gestured for the other to enter. "Shoes and weapons by the door please, or at least the large sword." He smiled as the other complied. "There's food and who I'm guessing by the smell is your brother in the dinning room."

"Ah." Balin said as he spotted Dwalin, who was indeed as you know his younger brother. "Evening brother."

"By my beard," said Dwalin, pulling his hand from the jar from which he'd been trying, and failing, to get a cookie. "You're shorter and whiter then last we met."

"Whiter, not shorter." Balin corrected. "And still sharp enough for the both of us." He winked; the brothers chuckled, than banged their heads together.

Bilbo watched the display with interest and some amusement. _If they greet each other like this all the time they'd eventually knock the wits right out of each other._ He thought. Once again the doorbell rang. Bilbo pointed the two brothers towards his pantry and hurried to the door.

"I swear, if the keep coming in single file…" He grumbled under his breath, but he needn't have worried, because their where two were-dwarves on his doorstep this time, young brothers. One had sunflower-colored hair and the other had dark brown hair and eyes to match. They looked as different as day and night, but when they came up from their bow they wore identical, mischievous grins.

"You must be Mister Boggins." The darker-haired one, who he now knew to be Kili, said cheerfully as he made to push inside.

Bilbo stopped him. "If you think I'm letting you in with your boots as muddy as that you are sorely mistaken." He replied firmly. "Off, and leave them outside the door, then you can come in. And put your weapons by the door." They two obeyed instantly, mostly because of the hobbit's tone of voice, partly because they could smell food and it smelled good!

Bilbo let them in and when most of the weapons had been removed, boy Fili had a lot of knives, he nodded towards the pantry. "Master Dwalin!" Kili greeted happily and the burly dwarf grinned. "Come on boys, give us a hand." He said and the four began moving the table, but the doorbell rang again and Bilbo had to rush off to answer it.

"If any other hobbits are seeing this they must think that I'm some sort of clothead." He muttered as he opened the door.

He was not expecting eight dwarves to tumble down on top of each other. He eyed the tangled mass of limbs and complaints in amazement and gave a sympathetic wince for the ones at the bottom of the pile before snapping back into focus.

"Alright." He said loudly as eight heads snapped in his direction. "Once we're able to get you all up I want boots and weapons by the door. If you want to keep a small knife with you then that's fine." He gave the weres a look to make sure they understood, then reached down and pulled a red-haired dwarf to his feet. "I'm sure you all would rather eat at the table then on the doorstep."

That was all it took before the were-dwarves began once again trying to stand, pulling each other up before leaving their shoes and weapons by the door. They hurried towards the smell of food while Bilbo chuckled to himself. He had a knack for spotting weapons and the star-haired dwarf had only put three knives down, which was most defiantly less then half. Much less. Seeing the dwarf eye the silverware, he found that he wasn't surprised, and when the dwarf met his eyes from a distance Bilbo shook his head slightly. The other dwarf held his gaze for a moment longer before nodding and moving to take a large chicken down from the pantry.

Bilbo smiled. So they had a thief in their party, and from the looks Dwalin was giving the other were-dwarf, he didn't approve. Perhaps Dwalin was some sort of guardsman who had chased the thief. Bilbo sat in the corner watching the interactions between the were-dwarves, trying to sort through all the new, different smells and pin each one to a were. He heard all of the names when Gandalf counted and caught something about them being one dwarf short, but couldn't figure out which name belonged to which.

Finally he pulled aside a dwarf who smelled of ink and parchment and was carrying a small basket of Bilbo's prizewinning tomatoes. "I'm sorry, Dori or Ori was it?"

The other were smiled. "Ori. I meant to thank you for hosting us, Mister Baggins."

The hobbit smiled. He could see intelligence in the other's eyes, but somehow he guessed that it was something few noticed. "You're welcome of course Ori. I was wondering if you could tell me the names of the other were-dwarves. I confess there are a bit too many for me to name." He took a tomato from the basket in Ori's hands. Ori grinned.

"No problem. I guess it would be a bit difficult if you aren't used to all the names. You've met Balin, Dwalin, Fili, and Kili right?" Bilbo nodded. "Okay, so the dwarf over there with the ax in his head is Bifur." Bilbo nodded again, the dwarf smelled of oak and iron. "He's not quite right in his head, but he's got a good heart. Those are his cousins, Bofur," A dwarf with a mustache and floppy hat that smelled like coal and pine, "And Bombur." An impressively large dwarf who smelled like a butcher's shop. "That's Oin," An old, grey-hair dwarf with a hearing trumpet smelling of healing herbs, "And his brother Gloin." The red-haired dwarf whom Bilbo had helped up, smelling like a forge. "Then there's my older brothers, Dori," A dwarf with grey hair in elaborate braids smelling like chamomile and mint, "and Nori." The star-haired thief Bilbo had noticed earlier who smelled like cinnamon and nutmeg. "We're still missing Thorin." Ori continued, than rolled his eyes at Dori calling him from the table. "I should go."

Bilbo nodded again and took a bite out of the tomato. Now he had names to match to faces and smells. Underneath those scents he could smell the relations between his guests as well as the distinct scent of a werewolf.

He enjoyed himself watching the dwarves' food fight and drinking contest, glad he had hidden the good wine away, though they might not even want it. Their singing as they tossed his plates around made him laugh loudly, something he had not done in years. He knew his father would have panicked at the careless way the plates were being thrown, but in the end they were all cleaned and stacked neatly, so all was well.

Then a knock sounded at the door and the laughing dwarves quieted instantly. Gandalf blew a small puff of smoke. "He is here."

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	4. Chapter 4

_**Here's more for anyone who's reading it. Enjoy!**_

Bilbo could feel the strength radiating from this were-dwarf, clearly the alpha of this pack, through the door. He opened it carefully. The were before him smelled like a burned forest, charred, but Bilbo could also smell green shots in the ashy midst. And he was handsome, black hair streaked with grey and sapphire blue eyes, Bilbo noticed as the dwarf greeted Gandalf. He snapped back into focus at the words "that mark on the door."

"Gandalf, what did you do to my door!? I just painted it and nearly got covered in green for my trouble!"

Gandalf winced at the irritated tone in the were's voice and decided it might be best not to answer. "Bilbo, allow me to introduce the leader of this company, Thorin Oakenshield."

"So." The werewolf said. "This is the were-hobbit. He looks more like a grocer then a bugler, and he is not a wolf."

Bilbo looked up at Gandalf and said plaintively "You'd think that someone who just walked into your house where his whole Company and food is waiting for him, though I'm considering removing the latter, would be a little more polite." Someone chuckled quietly as Bilbo fixed Thorin with a stern gaze. "I'd like it if you would be a little bit nicer. And if you want food, leave your boots and weapons by the door." He bustled off towards the kitchen.

Thorin watched the werehyena leave with undisguised shock, but removed his boots and left his sword and ax by the door with the already large pile of weapons. His pack moved back to the table and he followed, sitting at the head.

Bilbo grumbled about annoying were-dwarves all the way to the kitchen. Still, he wouldn't let this one go hungry, tonight at least. There was a large pot of beef stew he had made earlier that was still half full, so he brought a bowl of it, some bread, and ale over to the dwarf king. He let him eat for a few minutes before speaking.

"Now, Gandalf didn't tell me what you wanted. So you'll understand my confusion as to why the heir to the throne of Erebor is sitting in my kitchen."

The were-dwarves stilled and Thorin turned around in his chair to face the werehyena. "And how do you know that?"

Bilbo snorted. "I'm not an idiot. I listen to all the news that comes to the Shire and all the history I can. I have travailed, though never as far as that mountain. I know the story of Erebor, how Smaug came and destroyed both it and Dale. But I don't know why you're here."

Gandalf leaned forward, laying map on the table. "They intended to take back Erebor. And you, my dear Bilbo, as an excellent tracker would be an excellent addition to this quest." Bilbo frowned then held up a hand.

Weres have keen hears and so they all heard what he did, a low rustling in the kitchen and a sudden crash. Bilbo sighed and raised his voice slightly.

"I hope you're not this clumsy on your next job." He concealed his worry. Umbra didn't much like werewolves.

"If I was this clumsy on a regular basis, I'd be in much worse condition Bilbo." The voice was distinctly female and some of the dwarves glanced at each other. "I thought I'd taken care of all the arms men, clearly I was mistaken."

"Mistakes in your line of work will get you killed." Bilbo said as the woman came into sight and leaned against the door frame.

"Well, I'm not dead yet."

The were-dwarves stared at her. She was clothed entirely in black, leather trousers and jerkin over a long sleeved tunic of the same color. Her face was concealed by a black cloak and some sort of mask. Leather gloves were on her hands and the dwarves wondered who this woman was, what she did that she kept herself so hidden. Something about her made them all uneasy.

Her form went completely still. "I'll be leaving Bilbo."

"Oh no." the hobbit said firmly, facing the woman. "You shouldn't even be standing on that leg, much less walking to wherever you're thinking!"

"I didn't have a precise destination in mind, but I'm not staying in a house full of werewolves!"

"You got a problem with werewolves?" Dwalin growled.

"Yes-"

The next word she used brought Dwalin and some of the others growling to their feet. It was a word used to mean someone of dirty blood, an insult that was commonly used by those who disliked weres. Bilbo saw some of the dwarves reach to the small weapons he had allowed them to keep and Umbra palm a long knife of her own. If he didn't interfere soon, his dining room would become a bloodbath.

"Enough!" He said, loudly enough for all to hear without him yelling. Most turned to him though Dwalin continued glaring at Umbra. "Give the knives to me." When no one complied, his tone hardened. "Now."

Slowly but surely the dwarves who had grabbed their blades gave them to Bilbo and sat. Even Dwalin, after a glare from both Thorin and Bilbo handed his knife over to the hobbit. He turned to Umbra.

With a very audible sigh she gave him the knife. Bilbo raised an eyebrow and she handed over six more, from her boots, her arms, and her waist. Bilbo knew full well she had more, but he also knew that she was good enough with her hands for it not to matter much if she gave him all her knives.

"I know you aren't fond of werewolves but I'm asking you to be polite, for the time being at least." He told her, leaving no room for argument. He turned to the dwarves. "That goes for all of you as well. I'm going to get some food, and if I come back to find you all acting up, I'll throw hot soup in your all of your faces and kick your injury Umbra. Am I understood?" Fourteen heads nodded. "Good." He left them and filled another bowl of beef stew for Umbra and brought it to her along with bread and a mug of ale.

"Now, what were we talking about?"

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	5. Chapter 5

_Shire __tongue_

"The kingdom of Erebor." Gandalf continued, "Has long lain under the feet of Smaug,"

"You want to reclaim it." Bilbo said, slightly stunned. "What do you want me along on an adventure like that for?"

"Because even for a were you are an exceptional tracker and fighter. And it has been far too long since you had an adventure Bilbo." The hobbit gave a grin.

"I was already going to sign, I think I know what's expected of me, but I wanted to know your reasons. Thank you Gandalf." The wizard nodded with a smile. Bilbo picked up the contract. "Why do people insist on listing all the various ways you can die? Evisceration, laceration, incineration, do you get contracts saying that Umbra?"

"Sometimes." The woman answered. "Though I've never gotten incineration."

Dwalin scowled at Umbra. "What are we going to do about her?"

"What about me?" Umbra said tartly.

Thorin frowned. "You could tell our enemies our plans, where we are."

"I won't tell."

"But we don't know that." Gloin pointed out.

"Bilbo does."

The were-dwarves turned to Bilbo, who was still reading the contract. "If Umbra says she won't tell, she won't. But if you're so worried, we can just take her along."  
>This sparked loud protests, both from the dwarves, who said they already had a grocer-like hobbit they didn't need a useless woman, and from Umbra, who very much disliked the idea of being with a pack of were-dwarves. Finally Gandalf calmed everyone down.<p>

"I vouched for Master Baggins, and his word should be good for another! I for one am willing to hear his reasons." He turned to Umbra, who had stood in her anger. "I would also like to hear yours."

Umbra snorted and crossed her arms, face still hidden. "Unlike most of you, I am neither a were nor a pack animal. I prefer to work alone, and I'd rather avoid being incinerated."

Y_ou need a break from your usual work as much as I do_. Bilbo said switching to Shire tongue. Y_ou don't have any upcoming jobs do you?_

_No, but I'm sure I can find some._

Bilbo laughed, enjoying the dwarves' confused faces. _You still owe me for the last card game._

_Actually, I've the promised seeds in my pack._

_Do for my mother then. You know she always said you were a pack animal at heart._ His tone softened, thinking about his mother made him sad. _She'd want you to do this._

Umbra sighed and looked at the ground. "That's dirty Bilbo." She said in Common. "Fine, I'll go, but don't expect me to be especially polite."

"Perfect." Gandalf said with a smile, ignoring the glaring Thorin, who chose at that moment to speak.

"I for one am still not sure about this. How do we know she is capable?"

"Put it this way, Master Dwarf." Umbra said coldly. "How old is the youngest member of this company? Excluding Bilbo."

He looked at the woman. "Eighty."

"I've been on the road for far longer then that. One does not travel for long in this land with out learning how to defend oneself. I can fight a sword or ax with daggers and knives and win before the other knows what hit them. Can you say as much?"

Thorin chose not to answer and looked toward Balin. "Can you draw up another contract?"

"Course lad. Just give me a minute." Bilbo, seeing this, quickly signed his contract and handed it to the white-bearded were, he seemed the nicest, and pulled Umbra out to the kitchen.

"How's your leg?"

"Its fine, you shouldn't worry so much about me." She said, her tone becoming much warmer.

He huffed in exasperation. "I have to worry, Umbra. You're older, but you're like my younger sister who I can't trust to keep an eye on herself. I haven't seen you in months, and you come back with your leg cut nearly to the bone,"

"Hey, hey." She said, putting her hands on his shoulders and looking down at him so that he could see her blue eyes. "I'll be alright. I'm older, like you said. I taught you to fight, so I can't be all bad at what I do, huh?" He gave a dry chuckle. "I'll try to be more careful in the future. Would you believe it, it wasn't even the good arms men that surprised me, it was the drunk one lying outside the house!"

Bilbo laughed and hugged Umbra. "I've missed you."

Someone coughed. Turning, they saw Balin standing in the doorway with a kind smile on his face. "I just finished writing this up, Mistress-"

"Umbra." She said. "You can call me Umbra."

"Very well, Mistress Umbra. If you could sign this we'll be good." She nodded and took the form, the were-dwarf left. "Help me Bilbo." She whispered. Bilbo nodded. His mother, Belladonna, had taught Umbra to read common, but she wasn't used to it and had to be helped with some of the larger words. When she signed it, the pair went to the living room, where all the were-dwarves sang softly, of fire and ash, of loss and death. Umbra gave her contract to Balin and headed back to her room, but Bilbo stayed until the dwarves finished singing and then helped them all find rooms. He smiled when he went to bed. He was exhausted, but he had felt his old excitement return at the thought of adventure and a pack, if one of wolves. His sister in all but blood had returned, he was leaving the Shire for a bit, and he felt wonderful.

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	6. Chapter 6

_**This is for any readers and the awesome people who write me reviews, you have no idea how good those makes me feel. I plan to have another Chapter up tomorrow. Also, if anyone knows how to change the title of something, can the tell me? I want to change the title of this piece. Enjoy!**_

Umbra awoke first. She slipped from her room and tiptoed to Bilbo's room. When she saw that he was asleep, she smiled warmly and gently shook his shoulder.

"I need to get my pony." She whispered when he opened his eyes. "The werewolves," her face twisted into an expression of annoyance, "Are still sleeping. I'll meet you all on the road." Bilbo nodded in agreement and stood, ignoring her protests that he should go back to sleep.

"I was waking up anyway." He said as she followed him out to the kitchen. "How's your leg?"

"Healing nicely. I am forever thankful that Belladonna taught you all she knew about healing." She took an apple from the bowl on the counter. Bilbo gently touched her scarred face, unmasked as it was.

"Why don't you show them your face? I feel you can trust them, some at least, even with the knowledge that you're-"

"No." She said, turning away. "I don't disregard your instincts Bilbo, but I do not trust them. I can count the people I trust on one hand; I will not share any of myself with them." Bilbo nodded sadly and looked down. She placed her fingers under his chin and lifted so that his eyes met her's. "I have my reasons for hating werewolves Bilbo. Perhaps one day I will tell you." She sighed. "But for now, I must go. See you later Bilbo." She turned and nearly ran into Nori. "Master Dwarf." She said, her voice cold, head turned down so that her hood covered her face. "If you'll excuse me." She strode past him out of the hobbit-hole. Nori looked at Bilbo, who shrugged.

Umbra walked out onto the grass outside the hole and breathed in deeply, feeling herself relax. Then she sank into the ground, rising not a moment later several miles away, just outside a town slightly north of Bree. That ability was unique; when Belladonna had found Umbra she had been close to death. The were-hobbit had tried to heal her but her injuries were to sever and her sickness to far along. Belladonna had prayed to Yavanna and the Valar had answered, healing Umbra. With that healing had come two side effects, Umbra healed quickly with a slightly extended life, and could travel through the ground. It was an ability she didn't often use, it tended to tire her out. She had never understood why the Green Lady had been so generous, perhaps it was simply in her nature, or perhaps it was for Belladonna, one of her children.

A neigh startled her and she looked up to see Laurel, her pony, galloping towards her. Umbra grinned. She was about the height of a tall dwarf and still small enough to ride a pony. The bay mare slowed to a stop and gently nuzzled her mistress.

"Hey girl, sorry for leaving you alone." The pony gave a snort. She knew Umbra well and was used to her disappearances. Umbra mounted the pony. "Come on girl. We're going to the Shire. Let's see if we can beat the dwarves to the border, huh?" Laurel neighed and set off at a quick trot.

Bilbo didn't object to riding a pony. Well all the weres certainly could have shifted and traveled in animal form, it was annoying to carry packs that way. Most horses would have panicked at the scent of any were, but these ponies had been specially bred. It comforted Bilbo to know that his pony, Myrtle, would not bolt, and the small surprise on the faces of the dwarves would hadn't expected him to be able to ride was rather satisfying.

They were just reaching the borders of the Shire when the wind shifted and blew towards them. Bilbo's hands clenched briefly and he scowled at himself. He had known Umbra for his whole life, literally since she'd been there at his birth, and her scent still gave him a start.

He could tell the other were-dwarves noticed it to. "What is that?" Dwalin growled. "I can smell nothing about this person."

Bilbo understood. All he could ever smell about Umbra was a female scent and something faintly sour, but that was it. He couldn't smell what she was, or any other identifying scent, though sometimes in strong wind such as this he thought he smelled something distinctly spicy. Her lack of scent wasn't enough to completely hide her from a were, but it was very little. Bilbo figured that that was probably what had unnerved the were-dwarves about her last night, though they may not have recognized it.

Umbra herself was sitting on a tree root next to her brown pony. In the sunlight, her cloak was revealed to be not black, but a very deep blue. She had replaced her mask after arriving in the Shire, and they still saw none of her face.

"You're slow." She remarked as they came closer. "I could have gone to Bree and back before you got here."

"Where were you?" Thorin growled. He didn't like the woman. She felt like competition.

"I had to get Laurel." She replied coldly, patting her pony before mounting. "Well, are we going or not? Because I want to get this over with." Thorin growled briefly at her, but the Company moved on.

Umbra slipped into place besides Bilbo. "You stole the ribbons off my knives." She whispered. The hobbit chuckled and pulled the blue ribbons from his pocket.

"If it took you this long to notice, then you're the one who's slow."

"I noticed the moment I saw them on the table in the hallway, how could I not? I just didn't feel like going back."

"I forgot my handkerchief." Bilbo replied in a mournful tone. "I don't how I'll get along with out it." He raised an eyebrow and Umbra grinned beneath her mask.

"Of poor Bilbo, whatever shall you do?" She said in the same tone, before the two began to laugh quietly.

"Ah, well." Bilbo said with a smile. "This adventure won't be so bad. You'll see!" And so they continued as the sun crossed the sky.

It was late when the stopped and Kili brought down a deer, which Bombur roasted eagerly and the others ate just as eagerly. As the night wore on, Bilbo found he couldn't sleep; it had been a long time since he slept on the hard ground and the dwarves' snores were rather loud.

"How soft I'm getting." He thought as he sat talking to Ori. He found the young dwarf good company, the lad was quiet and soft-spoken, but intelligent and there was a strength to him that Bilbo could almost smell. Their talk was interrupted when a loud screech echoed through the night.

The two weres' heads jerked up. "What was that?" Ori said nervously. Umbra, who had been drifting off to sleep, started awake at the cry.

"Orcs." Said Fili, who was keeping watch with his brother. They'll be dozens of them out now."

"They raid the villages in the night." Kili continued. "Quick and quiet, no screams. Just lots of blood." Bilbo took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Ori heard him mutter "There are always screams." Before Umbra stood and walked over to them, wrapping an arm around the hobbit. Ori got the feeling she was glaring at the Durin brothers from beneath her hood, who had not noticed and were chuckling.

"You think that's funny?" Thorin's voice interrupted their mirth. "You think a night raid by Orcs is a joke?"

"We didn't mean anything by it." Kili muttered, shamed.

"No you didn't. You know nothing of the world." Thorin growled, walking off to the edge of the cliff.

"Don't worry lads." Balin said. "Thorin has more cause then most to hate Orcs." He told the story of the battle of Moria, where Thorin's grandfather had been killed and his father had vanished. It made Bilbo feel sorry for the king, for though the other might not notice it, they had something in common.

"However, you should not panic so quickly." Thorin reprimanded the Hobbit at the end of the story as he walked back to his sleeping place.

Because all the sleeping dwarves had woken up and because they were all staring at their king, no one missed the small dagger that flew just past Thorin's head and embedded itself in the tree beside him. He whirled around, furious, to see the dwarves glancing between him and Umbra, who somehow hid her face while sitting straight. The damn woman had thrown a dagger at him.

"What do you think you're doing?" He said furiously.

"Reminding you that you are not the only one here who has suffered loss, _Your Majesty_." The cold anger in her voice was almost tangible. "You are not the only one to lose family to the Orcs."

"Umbra, it's alright." Bilbo said. "He didn't know."

"That doesn't make it alright." She snapped, before standing and walking back to her sleeping spot, curling up so that her back was to the dwarves.

Thorin turned his gaze to the were-hobbit. "What happened?"

Bilbo sighed. "During the Fell Winter, Orcs and Wargs crossed the river into the Shire." He said quietly. "We hobbits were already weak from hunger and cold. When the Orcs invaded, many hobbits died, my parents among them." His voice shook. "I watched. I'm afraid I and some of the others, especially weres, went a little mad after that." He gave a cold, fiercely satisfied grin. "Those Orcs never knew what hit them. But Umbra was angrier for me then herself, she's very protective." He met Thorin's eyes squarely. "Mother and Father fought well, and Umbra fought beside them. My parents were the closest she had to kin, and they died in her arms, I'm the only one she has left."

Thorin nodded once. "I am sorry." He said, directing it to both Bilbo and Umbra.

The were-hobbit shrugged sadly. "Not as if we can change it." He looked up at the other dwarves, seeming surprised, as if he'd forgotten them. "Well, unless we're all planning to sleep till noon, everyone should go back to bed." He remarked. Someone chuckled and the weres drifted off to sleep once more.

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	7. Chapter 7 Dueling

_**I'm so sorry, i said i would update yesterday and I didn't. Sorry!**_

There are some people who have taught them selves to wake up before a nightmare ends, or to turn it into something manageable. Umbra is not one of those people, and only long years of practice kept her from screaming as she awoke.

_Hot iron burned into her arm, leaving a lasting mark…Wargs encircled her, making sounds she knew were laughs as the White Warg nearly bit her in half...The whip fell on her back and her back, but some one stepped in front of her, dazed with pain she only knew who by the long hair, the whip fell on his back again and again but he never screamed, something she had no hope of replicating as the man came back to her, laughing as he kicked her and whipped her again over sobs…_

The nightmares, endless sequences of old pains held her in their thrall for a long time before she finally jerked awake, gasping in a cold sweat, her hand stuffed into her mouth to keep screams for awaking the Company, the only quiet she could manage. With barely any thought, she stood and fled into the forest.

But Bifur, who had gone to wake Nori, saw and Bilbo, who had been sleeping near Umbra, was woken by her small whimpers. The two were-dwarves approached the were-hobbit.

"What was that?" Nori whispered.

"Umbra's nightmares, they never let her rest. She's had them as long as I can remember, which is saying a lot when you've know someone your whole life." Bilbo replied. He picked up his dual swords, which none had seen as he kept them on his back hidden beneath his cloak. "I'd better go check on her." Bifur and Nori glanced at the sky, which was just beginning to lighten, then at each other, before following Bilbo into the forest.

The were-hobbit raised an eyebrow when they stood next to him, but said nothing. Umbra was standing in the clearing, sparing against an imaginary partner with a pair of knives.

"Get behind the trees." Bilbo muttered to his followers, then walking into the clearing. "Umbra!"

He ducked as one knife came flying toward him, embedding itself into the tree where Nori was hiding.

"Bilbo." Umbra said, sounding both amused and irritated. "Haven't I told you to be careful interrupting my practice?"

Bilbo tugged the knife from the tree and tossed it to her. She caught it with ease. "Yes. You've also told me; many times more, that practice is much more fun when you have people to practice against." He gestured for Bifur and Nori to come out from the trees behind him. A duel would calm Umbra, and hopefully keep her from accidently harming her self, which happened often enough without a partner.

"Ah, a duel." Bilbo couldn't see her face, but her tone was interested. "Sounds fun."

Bifur grunted a few words in Khuzdul before pulling out his boar spear as Nori readied his mace. Bilbo drew his twin swords. Umbra kept her knives sheathed, and Bilbo could almost sense her assessing her opponents.

"No shifts. I'll take on weres in their human form but not three animals." She said at last.

"Fair enough." Bilbo replied. He glanced at the dwarves. "Work for you?" They nodded, and the three advanced.

Umbra was thinking quickly. _I'll take out Bilbo first; I do know his fighting style. I did help Belladonna teach him after all. I think I can take care of Bifur easily enough, but Nori might be difficult, I'm not used to fighting someone who uses the same weapons as me._ For Bilbo had told her that he had counted many knives on Nori, and if she could get his mace away from him, she thought the resulting fight would be quiet interesting. She drew two long knives and blocked Bilbo's swords. The fight had started.

It was wonderful. Umbra dueled Bilbo while dodging Bifur's spears, noticing that Nori was keeping back for a moment, but she couldn't keep this kind of fight up forever. Disarming Bilbo so that he was down to one sword, she grabbed the shat of the spear as Bifur jabbed at her and drove it into the ground. It pulled Bifur in and she struck him twice, once braking his nose with her palm, once hitting his head with the hilt of her knife. The dwarf went down, clutching his pounding and bleeding head. As for Bilbo, Umbra used the spear to swing herself around and kick him full in the stomach. Bilbo dropped, clutching his stomach and trying very hard not to throw up.

"Sorry little brother." Umbra said as she turned to Nori, who was eyeing her with some apprehension but with slight admiration as well. "Why don't you use your knives, and we'll make this a proper fight."

The dwarf gave her a razor sharp grin and set his mace upon the ground. "Gladly." He said drawing two of his on blades as they began to circle each other. "If I may ask what is your job, per say? Sounds like it might be somewhere along my line of work."

Umbra launched into the attack, spinning her knives, which Nori blocked, aiming blows of his own. They separated and continued their circling.

"Most people would say that "job" is a kind word for both out professions, Master Thief. We both, after all, work in the shadows." Nori grinned. "But I'm out of your league in this." It clicked as she attacked again, the deadly grace with which she moved, the knives, which from what he could see where very high quality, and the recent killing in a town that he had heard her mention to Bilbo, a town she said she had visited recently…

"You're an assassin." He said, surprised and trying not to let how much he enjoyed the fight show. He glanced down at her knives, which had a blue ribbon tied around the hilt. He'd heard of one who left ribbons like that at near each of her victims. "You're the one they call Azure."

Umbra froze for a moment and Nori scored a hit, slicing lightly in to her arm and striking that hand, causing her to drop her blade. "You're very good Nori." Umbra said slowly, backing away and drawing a dagger. The fight continued with greater ferocity. At one point, Umbra cut Nori's cheek slightly. The two were able to disarm each other, but each would simply pull out another blade or pick one up from the ground and continue. Neither noticed that the rest of the Company had arrived on scene. Bofur, awaking to find three of the Company and more importantly, his cousin gone, had quickly roused the others and they had set off towards the sounds of fighting, for though Umbra and Nori were quiet, weres have very good ears. They stood watching the two duelists with amazement, while Bofur hurried to his cousin and Ori to Bilbo, pulling them out of the way. Bifur looked at his fretting cousin with loving fondness.

Umbra howled as Nori kicked her injured leg and hopped backwards, gritting her teeth in pain. She backed up into a tree. Instinct made her drop her knives and sink within the trunk, emerging from a tree across the clearing. She stumbled as she came out, panting from the fight. The dwarves stared at her in shock.

"Hey, no traveling! That's cheating!" Bilbo yelled.

"Sorry, old habits!" She went for a boot knife and paused. It wasn't there.

Umbra looked up and saw Nori standing by the tree she'd come from waving a blue-ribboned knife. "Looking for this?" He smirked.

Perhaps he'd gotten it when she tripped him earlier. She scowled and pulled the knife from her other boot, then threw it at him. It sunk into the sleeve of his right arm. He tossed her knife, pinning her by her cloak. A few more silver blurs flew through the air until they were both pinned, each with a dagger about an inch from their heads.

Suddenly Umbra started laughing. Nori followed suit, and the two didn't stop until some one came to help them. Then they continued chuckling as they picked up the knives that had fallen.

"That was incredible." Balin said, eyeing Umbra and Nori with new-found respect. Dori fussed over his younger brother, who waved him off. He was slightly bruised, and the cut on his cheek stung, but other then that he was fine. Umbra was sitting on a tree root while Bilbo checked her leg. The kick hurt and it was bleeding slightly, but aside from that and some bruises she was also fine. The two nodded at each other in respect, then broke out into soft chuckles again. The sun had risen fully into the sky, and as Thorin ordered the Company to return to camp for breakfast, the two were thinking that it had been ages since they'd had this much fun.

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	8. Chapter 8 Love is in the Air

_**Sorry I haven't updated recently, I've been in driving lessons, not the ones in a car and that's takes up most of my day. I am thankful for my wonderful readers, you guys rule! Anyway, here's your chapter, and Happy Thanksgiving.**_

**_*Iglishmek*_**

Umbra didn't know why she felt so relaxed around the were-dwarves. Not all of them of course. Thorin, Dwalin, Gloin, and Dori she was wary of, they were strong and while she was strong to, for a whatever-she-was, a fight between her and one of them would be challenging and not in a good way. But Balin and Oin were kind enough, Nori she had met, she thought, once but she wasn't about to tell him that, Ori made Bilbo happy, it was a mutual feeling, and he as well as Fili and Kili reminded her of young children.

But it was the Ur family she felt almost completely relaxed with. Bofur's hearty and often inappropriate jokes startled a laugh from her and his brother's calm, steadfast air made him a good riding partner. And she enjoyed riding next to Bifur, the two holding silent conversations in Iglishmek, with Oin sometimes joining them. She found herself doing this more often as Bilbo began to spend more time with the younger dwarves while the three-dwarf family dragged her out of her silence into conversation.

At the moment though, it was raining, and had been for several days. Umbra was the only one happy about it. She loved the rain, and had fallen back enough so that they couldn't see her clearly and removed her hood and mask. Rain streamed down her face, curving with her scars into her hair. She pushed back unpleasant thoughts of the wet ground they'd be sleeping on again tonight, while she loved the rain she was not fond of every result.

She covered her face to meet up with the dwarves in time to hear Gandalf's words about Radagast and evil and had to repress a snort. The brown wizard's words about her choice would not have led anyone to think "gentle soul."

Bifur gestured at her and she responded, signing a greeting and shifting Laurel to line up with Bungle.

**_*What do you think of our gracious leader?*_** She signed.

**_*Why?*_** He replied, curious.

**_*Because I think Bilbo likes him, and I need to make sure he's good enough for my little brother.*_**

The dwarf chuckled. ***_Shouldn't that come after you know he feels the same about Bilbo?*_**

**_*Oh no. He doesn't even get to be considered unless I think he's good.*_**

Bifur laughed quietly. ***_You remind me of an Alpha wolf, so protective of her family.*_** He thought for a second. ***_I don't know Thorin very well. You should talk to Balin or Dwalin instead. But he is a good leader, I'll give him that.* _**He smiled. ***_Since you seem so knowledgeable about this, mind helping me identify other possible pairs? I'll admit that I quite enjoy matchmaking.*_**

This time it was Umbra who laughed. ***_Why not? It could be fun.* _**And it was. Umbra didn't have any friends excepting Bilbo and Laurel, though she was on good terms with some rangers and a couple of assassins, but she had an eye for relationships. She had seen Belladonna's love for Bungo before the hobbit woman even knew that the other liked her! They identified several pairs, Fili and Kili (***_Is that common among dwarves?* _**Umbra asked.**_ *No but it is not frowned upon.* _**Bifur replied), Dwalin and Ori (they wondered if Dwalin should fear Dori or Nori more), and, they weren't completely certain about this one, Dori and Oin.

"What about you, Bifur?" Umbra whispered, switching back to common speech due to her sore hand. "Anyone you fancy?"

*_No_.* He signed, but Umbra noticed that he glanced at Bofur as he said it. She grinned.

"And if you did, what would they be like?" She asked slyly.

The Dwarf shrugged, he hardly needed to think about this. ***_Dark hair, bright smile, a nice laugh that never dies. _**An almost dreamy look appeared on his face**_. *Kind, and would do anything for his family.*_**

**_*So Bofur.*_** Umbra switched back to Iglishmek for security.

Bifur replied loudly and in Khuzdul, causing some of the Company to look at them, Bofur seeming especially concerned. Bifur waved them off and signed to Umbra, almost too quickly for her to understand, ***_No, he cannot know that I feel this way!*_**

**_*And why not? You find nothing wrong with Fili and Kili, I doubt Bofur does either, and you two are even further apart then they are! What is the problem then? Unless he has someone back home-*_**

**_*No, he does not._** The dwarf sighed softly. **_I will not take the risk that he does not feel the same. I will not risk losing my cousin.* _**He rode ahead, leaving Umbra in the back of the group alone.

Umbra sighed in slight frustration. She wanted Bifur to be happy. He was kind to her, not seeming to care that she spoke little of herself, and he was a comforting presence. Even as a wolf his presence was comforting, as she had discovered at the full moon two nights earlier, when all the weres had shifted into their animal forms. No were was forced to transform at the full moon, they could change any time they wanted. The former was a myth brought about by a universal love among them all for a pack to run or hunt together beneath the moon's light. While the wolves, and one hyena, had been out for a run, Bifur, ignoring Umbra's obvious discomfort with the wolves, had stayed at camp near her and Gandalf. If he hadn't she probably would have stayed up all night, distrustful as she was of the great predators. But all that aside, Bifur was a good dwarf who deserved some happiness in the difficult life brought about by the ax in his head, which remained even in wolf shape.

Umbra remembered Bofur's concern over his cousin after their duel, and the consent care he showed Bifur. The love in his eyes was clear, and Umbra only needed to find out weather it was more then just that of family.

ΆβΩ

_**So yeah, that's all the upcoming pairings. Happy Thanksgiving!**_


	9. Chapter 9 Opal

**_Iglishmek_**

Nori didn't mean any harm, he really didn't. But Bifur had been taking this thing out every night, running it between his fingers before putting it back with a sigh; he just wanted a closer look at the sparkling thing. So when they stopped that evening, he carefully lifted the chain and stole over across the camp, concealing it within his hands.

It was beautiful, a testament to dwarven jewelry-making. A finely formed silver chain studded with small blue opals, a larger one hanging in the center nestled in a silver maple leaf. It was remarkably delicate and seemed oddly familiar to Nori. The fact that he couldn't remember where he'd seen it was saying something, he had an eye for beautiful things and surely he'd remember this.

It wouldn't be lying to say that he'd always meant to return the pretty thing. But when Bifur reached into his pocket and found nothing, he went ballistic. He searched through his jacket and the ground, crying something in Khuzdul. His cousins couldn't calm him at all. Then he somehow saw a glimmer from Nori's hands and stomped over to the dwarf, who was starting to worry for his life. The whole Company was watching now.

Bifur snatched the chain from Nori's fingers and began yelling in Khuzdul; loudly and angrily enough that Nori didn't even try to defend himself and tried to dodge the few punches Bifur sent his way.

It was Umbra who saved him, gripping the Bifur's hands in her own. The dwarf calmed almost instantly, it was actually kind of creepy. She said a few words to him and gently guided Bifur to his cousins.

"How'd you do that?" Bofur asked in complete astonishment, not noticing that she had removed on of her gloves. Black tattoos marked the back of her hand.

Meanwhile Nori was trying to deal with Dori, who was trying to figure out what he'd done to make Bifur so mad.

"I just stole something, okay!" He finally said. "And don't give me that look Dori; I was going to put it back. I was just trying to figure out what he was looking at every night!"

Dori winced. "Um Bifur, did he take-" The dwarf grunted out an affirmative and glared at Nori.

"Oh dear." Dori said. He turned back to his younger brother. "I'd advise you not to touch that again Nori. It's very, well, it reminds Bifur of someone he lost along time ago."

"Who? An old lover?" Balin asked. Umbra noticed Bofur scowl at the words before saying tartly,

"No. That was our aunt's necklace. But she used to say something similar, about someone lost who would never return." Everyone turned to Bifur, who grunted and signed to Dori, **_You can tell them. Iglishmek to hard. _**The silver-haired dwarf sighed.

"It belonged to Bifur's sister."

The Company went in to an uproar; none of them had even imagined Bifur having a sister. Bofur and Bombur were the most surprised, they had a cousin they never even knew about? And a female one at that? Remember that dwarven women are rare.

Eventually they calmed everyone down and Dori told the tale. "Bifur's father died in a rockslide a while back. Some years later, his mother began hanging out with a man from the nearby town. They were together for a few months, but he left once he found out she was pregnant. Needless to say it put her off ever finding another mate."

Bifur gave an angry growl and Dori nodded in agreement. "Anyway, she had a daughter, and I swear there was never a prettier lass. Light strawberry blond hair and eyes the same blue-green as a blue opal. That's how she got her name, Opal." Bifur signed something in Dori's direction and the other dwarf laughed. "That and she grabbed her mother's necklace the very minute her eyes opened. It was going to be given to her when she was older." Nori suddenly remembered that necklace; he had seen it several times on Bifur's mother's neck.

"But how come Bombur and I never heard about her?" Bofur asked.

Dori looked sadly at Bifur, who turned away from the Company. Umbra's hand rested on his shoulder. "When Opal was five, their mother began having dreams. Strange, fearful dreams, dreams of her daughter being snatched away from her. She had the Ur's family crest along with Opal's full name tattooed on her daughter's shoulder so that she could find her way home. Two days later, Opal vanished. We searched long and hard, but we never found even a trace of her."

The Company looked sorrowfully at Bifur. "And so we lost our cousin, and you lost your baby sister." Bofur whispered. "Oh Bifur."

"I suppose she was three years or so younger then you, Bofur. I don't think you ever met her, and if you did it was brief. I knew her because Bifur and I knew each other since we moved to the Blue Mountains."

"Was she a were?" Balin asked. "I only mean, half human, half were-dwarf-"

Bifur and Dori shook their heads. "No. She never shifted." Weres were capable of shifting between their two forms as newborn infants. "She would have been an Alpha though. It was clear in the way she acted, a natural-born leader." He sighed sadly. "It was a terrible loss."

It was sometime before the Company ate, Bilbo taking over most of the cooking as Bombur's hands were shaking with emotion. Dori stood by Bifur, who gazed steadily out into the night, not moving save to give the tiniest nod of acknowledgement when Nori apologized profusely. Umbra left the two to their vigil, sitting at the edge of camp to keep first watch. Dori went to sleep not long after, but Bifur stayed staring at the stars and holding the necklace tightly till Bofur came. He said nothing, but hugged his cousin tightly. Bifur returned the embrace, and complied when Bofur settled him down in his bedroll. He fell asleep to the memories of a child's laughter and bright blue eyes.

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	10. Chapter 10

**_So here's a new chapter, hope you all like it. Review please!_**

"We're being followed."

Bilbo frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Of course." Umbra replied irritably. "It's what I do, isn't it? I'm just hoping you could give me an idea of how many."

Bilbo sniffed the air. These men obviously didn't know that they were tracking weres, otherwise they would have moved downwind. Or perhaps they were just stupid. "I can smell five. There may be more."

Umbra nodded and dismounted silently. "I'll take care of it."

"You sure?" Bilbo asked, leaning down. "Don't need help?"

She ruffled his curls affectionately. "I'll be fine, Bilbo. I'll see you soon." She vanished into the forest around them. Bilbo sighed and tied Laurel's reins to his saddle and rode back to Ori. They had been talking about old heroes from songs before Umbra had pulled Bilbo away.

Ori asked about Umbra but Bilbo only shrugged. "She had something she needed to do."

Umbra let the bandits catch her. There were indeed five of them, and they encircled her like a pack of hungry jackals. "Why are you following us?" She asked her tone one of pleasant curiosity.

"So you're with the dwarves." One of them growled. He was a large, burly man with bad teeth and a mustache. From the way he held himself, he was the leader.

"Yes, I'm with the dwarves." She replied smoothly, each hand holding the hilt to an arm knife beneath her cloak. "You did not answer my question."

"Let's have some fun with the lady." One of the men jeered. "I'd bet she's pretty beneath that hood."

"Not something I'd advise you to try, my friend." Umbra said, keeping her voice pleasant but not facing the jeering man. She faced the leader, fully aware of the four around her. "You plan to kill them I think."

The leader chuckled. "There is a price on Oakenshield's head." He admitted. "We'd like it. And the others are in the way."

"Surely you don't mean to take thirteen on with five?"

The man outright laughed. "No girly. There's another fifteen of us coming. We're just waiting for the slowpokes. But we don't need them to deal with you." He drew a short sword. Not badly equipped, these bandits. "Then we'll take care of your dwarf friends."

Umbra leapt forward, slitting the leader's throat in one fluid motion. Then she turned, throwing her knives at the bandits. Two went down, the man who had jeered at her next with a blade in his throat. The last man cut at her with his sword, but she dodged and finished him off.

"Sorry." She said. "But I can't let that happen." She retrieved her knives and left to find the other fifteen.

She returned when the Company was setting up camp near a broken down house. Bilbo spotted her as she was riffling through her bag looking for her bruise balm.

"Are you okay?"

"Broken nose and some bruising, but I'll be alright." She replied warmly. "Why are Ori and Bofur staring at us?"

That question was quickly answered when Bofur waved them and Nori over. "Ori and I were wondering," the hatted dwarf said with a grin "Which one of you has the most knives? And do either of you have more then Fili?"

Nori and Umbra snorted in unison. "I'm a thief and she's an assassin." Nori said. "Fili's a crown prince. Which line of work do you think calls for more weapons?"

Umbra groaned and buried her head in her hands. "Do we really have to do this? I want to sleep, and I'm not completely sure of the exact number."

"How did this come up anyway?" Bilbo asked.

"I was thinking about all the different weapons in the Company." Ori said. "Could one of you please answer my question?"

Nori shrugged. "Me."

"No way." Umbra said, looking up. "I do."

"No way." Nori replied, mimicking her. "I'm older and I've been at this for longer."

Umbra jabbed his chest with her finger. "Yes, but I'm not the youngest here either. Fili only has what, thirteen or so? I'd bet that I was collecting knives before he started weapon training!"

"So let's see." Bilbo said quickly, partly to avoid a possible fight, partly out of real interest. "Daggers count and no trying to get out of it." He really did not know why those two agreed, maybe they were just bored.

They started simple. The group found a large stone and the two competitors (a polite term Ori supposed) sat opposite each other. Some of the other dwarves gathered around, and bets were quickly placed.

They started simply, belt knives, some arm and leg knives, one boot knife. The last put them at eight and both Bilbo and Dwalin snorted. Bilbo could spot more and Dwalin had searched Nori often enough to have seen more. It was a rather mismatched collection, both carried blades of very fine make, some with simple wooden or metal hilts, Nori had a couple of more ornate ones, and Umbra had a set of boot knives with hilts of bone. None of hers was without a blue ribbon.

Then two more boot knives from each. Umbra pulled a knife and a dagger from somewhere and Nori pulled two blades from his back. They each brought another two from their upper arms, making them even again. Then they paused.

"What's going on? Have they tied?" Ori asked excitedly.

"No." Bilbo said chuckling. "They're at the stage where they don't want to reveal anymore hiding places."

Nori looked up, eyeing the watching dwarves. "Somebody blindfold Dwalin."

"Hey!" Dwalin protested as Oin and Gloin dragged him away. The remaining dwarves plus Bilbo and Umbra chuckled.

"Because I don't want Dwalin to find anymore hiding places." Nori said to thin air, pulling out four thin metal blades from his leather wrist guards.

"Nice." Gloin said, returning. "Good steel."

Umbra pulled off her boots and knocked the heels against the stone. Two knives shot out from the heels. She also laid down a dagger about the length of her pinkie hanging from a fine chain that had rested around her neck, difficult to get to without pushing back her hood, and a golden knife curved to stay between her breasts under her leather corset.

Nori whistled as he looked at her boots. "I want a pair."

"I'll set you up with the person who made them." Umbra replied. She was grinning beneath her hood. "Got any better?"

"Why does it feel like I'm watching a chess game?" Balin wondered.

"Possibly because now they're trying to impress each other as well." Ori said.

Nori looked around to make sure Dwalin was still at the opposite side of camp. "Okay, this time anyone who might snitch to Dwalin leave." When no one moved he pulled out some of the thin pins that held his hair up. They housed needle sharp knives. Now Umbra whistled.

"Wow." Bofur said. "Porcupines, the both of you."

"You keep your hair up with those?" Dori said in amazement.

"Stabbed my self a few times when figuring out how to do it." Nori said with a wince. His reddish hair had slipped partly out of its star-fish shape. "Darn, now I'll have to fix it again." He turned to look at Umbra. "What are you doing?"

The assassin had both her hands beneath her hood. "Trying to reach the dagger, here!" She laid a slim, curved dagger upon the rock. A thin blue ribbon trailed from the hilt. "I put my hair in a bun under my hood and that holds it in place." Umbra explained. She put an unusually, for her, heavy knife on the table and pulled a short staff from her pack.

"What-" Ori began but fell silent as Umbra twisted the staff and two blades popped from the ends. She laid that on the rock.

"Any more?" Thorin asked, faintly amazed. He had come in when Dwalin was told to leave.

The two removed their belts in sync and held up the buckle, showing the group the tiny knife under it. Then they counted up the blades just to be sure they had what they thought they had.

"So we tied." Umbra said in disbelief. The two stared at each other for a minute, than turned to Thorin. "Where's the nearest town?" They asked.

The were-dwarf actually grinned before walking away. Bombur had stew ready. Umbra and Nori began slowly gathering their weapons. When Dwalin moved toward them, they gathered their weapons a lot quicker.

The evening passed uneventfully. Umbra went to sleep after replacing her weapons and applying bruise past to the discolorations that marked her back. She was exhausted, both from her fight and the two times she had traveled through the trees. The rest of the dwarves were settling down for dinner when Fili, who had been watching the ponies with Kili, ran in, white faced.

"Trolls, ponies, Bilbo," he gasped out. Everyone was silent for a split second before leaping to their feet. Seems this night wouldn't be so quite after all.

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	11. Chapter 11

**_Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been a busy and now i'm a bit stressed cause it's exam time, ah! But i hope you guys enjoy this. Please review._**

Bilbo regretted listening to Fili and Kili. The next time he saw them, even if it was in the afterlife, he was going to give them the scolding of their lives.

He had started out fine. After Fili and Kili vanished, he had quickly snuck up to the ponies. Then, he had cut the ropes with one of his swords. Unfortunately, the ponies had made quite a bit of noise when they ran out of the pen, which had alerted the trolls, which had lead to Bilbo trying to fight them off with his twin blades. At the moment, he was hanging in thin air, trying to slice at the hands of the troll who had grabbed him, while the squeaky-voiced one suggested holding his toes over the fire. Yavanna this was humiliating.

"Drop him!" Someone yelled.

The trolls (and Bilbo) looked over. Kili was standing in the clearing, twirling his sword confidently in one hand.

_Oh Yavanna, please don't let them actually drop me. _Bilbo prayed as Kili spoke again "I said, drop him."

The troll holding Bilbo growled, and threw him at Kili. The two weres went down as the rest of the Company burst from the trees, yelling and waving their weapons.

"Well, he technically didn't drop me." Bilbo grumbled as he pulled Kili up. The dwarf grinned before running into the fray. Bilbo carefully eyed the situation. There were three wolves in the group, Dori, Bifur, and Fili, who must have shifted before coming. Bilbo quickly pulled off his clothes; he didn't have many other pairs, and shifted. As a spotted hyena, though larger then a normal one, he leapt into the fight.

Those who had remained dwarves fought with swords, hammers, knives, and in Ori's case, a slingshot. The three wolves and one hyena fought with teeth and claws. But the trolls' skin was thick and tough, and both parties had difficulty penetrating the thick skin.

They fought in unison, no matter what shape the weres were in. They were a pack, and luckily Bilbo fit in perfectly. When one of the trolls picked up Nori, he got a rock in the eye from Ori, and in moving to attack Ori, was bit in the rear by Dori and hammered by Dwalin, who then moved to hit the troll who tried to step on Kili. Bilbo clawed Tom; he had learned their names when freeing the ponies, before he was thrown against the stone wall. Bifur nudged him up while Bofur beat Bert with his mattock and Bombur stopped Tom from grabbing Bilbo and Bifur by slamming the troll's hand with a ladle.

They weren't sure when it happened, but somehow William and Bert grabbed Ori. "Lay down your arms," Will growled. "Or we'll rip his off!"

Dori and Nori's panicked eyes darted between Thorin and their little brother, each swearing that if Thorin got Ori killed he'd have hell to pay. Thorin looked at Ori, seeing both fear and resolution in his eyes, and dropped his sword.

The rest followed, though Dori, Bifur, Fili, and Bilbo didn't shift back. They ended up on a spit along with some of the other dwarves, trying desperately to keep their paws above the high flames. Everyone else was put in burlap sacks and tossed to the ground. Needless to say it was very uncomfortable.

"Let's not waste time cooking them." Tom said in his increasingly whiny voice. "Let's just sit on them, and squash them into jelly."

"They should be sautéed and grilled, with a sprinkle of sage." Said Bert as he turned the spit.

"Oh, that does sound quite nice." Tom said, licking his lips.

Bilbo didn't know how the dwarves were managing to yell insults while being turned around, and around, and around again. He was starting to feel sick, and it wasn't just the heat or his burned paws. Now the dwarves on the ground, those he could understand being able to yell. Thorin was actually trying to bit through the rope on his sack, which would work a lot better if he was in wolf shape.

"What is going on here?"

The voice was loud and gravelly and startled everyone in the clearing, the trolls most so. "Mum?" Tom squeaked.

A moment's pause. Then, "Yes me, you little runt! What do you think you're doing, cooking all these dwarves?"

"Well, we wanted some supper mum. And we had ponies, but then they attacked us and we lost the ponies, so we're cooking the dwarves instead." Bill said, seeming worried. The dwarves instantly renewed their protests, rather worried about this fourth troll.

"Well I can see that." The voice said, annoyed. "What I'm wondering is why you have _wolves_ and a bloody _hyena_ on the spit was well. They're far too furry! You need to skin them first! And sage? You must be losing your sense of smell if you think it's going to be enough to plate this lot up with. Skinning the dwarves wouldn't hurt either." Cue more enraged dwarves.

"But mum, we haven't got the time!" Bill said. "Dawn ain't far off."

"Then you won't be eating tonight, because you can't welcome your mother back with such an unsavory meal. I wouldn't eat these spiced with as little as sage! At least take the furry beasts off the spit. You can't cook them the same way as dwarves."

"And how would you recommend cooking them, mum?" Asked Bert eagerly amid protesting dwarves. "Cause you never told me all your recipes."

"Hmm, for the wolves I'd say stew them, with a lot of pepper. Roast the hyena on the side with lemon. And skin them, because otherwise we'll all be gagging on that fur for nights on end. As for the dwarves, there's enough for a pie with mushrooms, I dare say. With dwarf jelly on the side. Skin them to, the nasty hairy things. It would be quite the feast."

The trolls nodded eagerly, than Bill turned to look at the rocks above them. "Who's that?"

No idea." Said Bert, looking at the grey figure.

"Can we eat him to?" Asked Tom.

"The dawn will take you all!" Cried Gandalf, slamming his staff into the stone, breaking it and allowing a blast of sunlight into the clearing.

The trolls groaned, twisting as the sunlight struck their skin, turning it grey, well, grayer. Thorin thought he heard one cry "Mum!" before they were completely stone, standing in the middle of the clearing like ugly statues. He actually grinned at the wizard as the Company cheered around him.

"Hey get your foot out of my back!" Dwalin growled.

"Gandalf, what about the fourth troll?" Kili yelled as Gandalf climbed down from where he was standing, eyes twinkling.

"Oh, please. Don't tell me I'm so ugly you could mistake me for a troll." A familiar voice said.

Everyone turned towards it. Umbra leaned against a tree, and Bilbo knew her well enough to know that she was smirking beneath her hood.

"Well, we don't know what you look like, so…" Nori called, grinning. She pointed at him threateningly.

"I'll get you for that, Master Thief. Watch your back. And next time you guys, wake me up before you run into trouble like this, I was worried when I found you all gone." She kneeled to untie Kili, who was closest, while Gandalf extinguished the fire and eyed the spit carefully. Time to get these annoying dwarves free. If they stopped telling him to hurry up, he might work faster.

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	12. Chapter 12

**_Call these two chapters a late Christmas present. Please review, tell me what you think. I really want to know how you feel about my story._**

Getting the dwarves down form the spit was difficult, but they managed it in the end and those who had shifted into wolves ran back to camp to get dressed. There was a lady in their midst after all.

The others who had been on the spit grumbled as they dressed, wincing at their burns from the flames. Fili and Kili were standing with their arms wrapped tight around each other, looking like they'd never let go. Their time spent separated, with Fili slowly roasting on the spit, had been torture for the both of them. Fili's fingers were knotted into Kili's wild hair, and Kili's shoulders were shaking. Umbra could see him trying to resist shifting in his anger at the trolls. Bofur and Bombur, Bofur especially, were worrying over Bifur, who seemed slightly dizzy, both from the spinning and the ax in his head, which had been heated by the flames.

"You see it to?" Bilbo murmured to Umbra as he came over from were he'd been reassuring Ori. The poor dwarf seemed to blame himself, and Bilbo would not have left had not Dori and Nori both come to their little brother.

"I see it." Umbra removed her face mask, it was hot.

Bilbo sighed. "They love each other. So do Fili and Kili. Why are they so scared?"

"Their fear I think is a bit irrational, Bifur tells me incest is uncommon but not frowned upon by dwarves. I suppose I understand the fear of rejection, but the love between them is so clear that I don't see how they not notice it." Umbra said sounding frustrated. "Bifur is afraid he'll lose Bofur, but that's not a problem, I can see it clear as day. I want him to be happy Bilbo. You're like my younger brother, but if I had an older one I'd want him to be Bifur."

Bilbo smiled. Umbra had taken a liking to the family of Ur and it warmed him to see her opening up. "Perhaps we should give them a little help." He whispered. "Fili and Kili to."

"This is more your area of expertise then mine." Umbra said, but he caught sight of a grin beneath her hood. "Very well, let's give them a hand. And to Dwalin and Ori while we're at it." Catching sight of Bilbo's shocked expression she laughed. The hobbit shook his head in amazement, a slow grin coming to his face.

"I knew that Ori liked Dwalin, I could see it even if he wouldn't say anything to me. Are you sure Dwalin feels the same?"

Umbra shook her head. "Perhaps not yet, but he will." Thorin yelled something about a troll cave and the Company reluctantly got to its feet. "We'd best be careful though." Bilbo nodded.

It took them no time at all to find the troll cave, their strong noses leading them to it in and instant. Many of the weres, wisely in Umbra's opinion, decided to remain outside, but some, Thorin, Dwalin, Bofur, Nori, and Gloin went to search the cave.

Ori was leaning against the rock away from the cave mouth. He looked upset, and Umbra supposed he had the right to be. She hesitated for a moment, than walked over to him. The were-dwarf looked up as she quietly approached. "Hey."

Ori examined the assassin. She looked the same as she always did, black clothes and dark blue hood concealing her features. She wasn't wearing her face mask though and as she leaned against the rock next to him he could see the curve of her jaw.

"It wasn't your fault you know. The troll could have grabbed anyone, and Thorin would have made the same decision."

"How do you know what happened?" Ori asked gloomily. "You weren't there."

"Balin." She replied. "And he gave me the strangest look when I asked."

"Probably because you hardly talk to anyone. You don't connect with anyone here except for Bilbo and the Ur's. And maybe Nori. You don't even make the effort."

"I never really had anyone to connect to." Umbra whispered, looking down at her hands. Ori tilted his head, curious. "I-I was somewhere bad when I was a child, and Belladonna found me after I escaped, but none of the hobbits, were or not, really liked me." She laughed bitterly. "I suppose they had reason. And in my line of work, there aren't many you can get attached to. I learned that when I was a little bitty kid, getting attached gets you hurt. And now here I find myself wanting to protect everyone here and knowing that it would hurt me greatly if something were to happen to any one of you. Even those I hardly know. Belladonna always did say that I was like the mother of a pack. When I was young I asked her what kind of pack, and she laughed and said 'Any pack little one. Any pack, even of your own kind.'"

"What does that mean?" Ori asked, incredibly puzzled. "You don't like your own kind?"

Umbra shook her head. "Here I am telling you of my miserable life when I meant to comfort you. Pathetic."

"That was a very bad dodge."

"Oh I meant it. Every word. I belong in no pack." They stood in silence for a bit before Umbra placed a gloved hand on Ori's shoulder. "But you do, and everyone here looks out for everyone else. That's how it works in a pack right? So you were a bit slow and a troll grabbed you. It all worked out in the end, and no one blames you. Maybe you'll all look back on this one day and laugh. I certainly will. I mean, grilled dwarves with sage? Far better a dwarf and mushroom pie."

This startled a chuckle from Ori and he smiled at the woman. "Alright, you win." She nodded and began to walk away. "And Umbra?" she turned, confused as she looked and the fierce little dwarf. "You will find your place. I'm sure of it."

Umbra shook her head as she waked away. If Ori knew what she was, he wouldn't be so sure. None the less, she felt the young dwarf's words warming her. A loud crashing suddenly sounded and she drew a long knife as a brown shape rushed into the clearing.

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	13. Chapter 13

_**Enjoy!**_

"Thieves! Fire! Murder!"

"Radagast." Gandalf said sounding relieved as the brown shape came to a halt. "It's Radagast the Brown." Some of the dwarves lowered their weapons, and Umbra quickly ducked behind Bombur, who had come up behind her at Thorin's call to arms and always seemed happy to serve as a shield for someone who had pissed off a member of the Company. Umbra remembered when Fili and Kili had taken refuge behind his bulk after royally pissing off Dori, who had been on the receiving end of a prank meant for Dwalin. Umbra thought that they would have been hiding behind Bombur regardless of who got that bucket on their clothes. Where on earth had those two gotten all that pink paint? Perhaps in the town they had stopped at the day before? Needless to say, that particular instance had provided amusement for everybody, with the exception to Dori. Boy had he looked funny, dripping pink paint and giving everybody a glare that could have slaughtered armies.

Umbra was brought back to the present as Gandalf pulled a stick insect from Radagast mouth. Yuck. Then, as luck would have it, the brown wizard glanced over and saw her peeking out from behind Bombur.

"Umbra." He said stiffly, his face and tone immediately turning cold.

"Radagast." She replied just as coldly, stepping out behind her dwarven shield and keeping a firm grip on her lowered knife. "How nice to see you again."

"I see you are still wearing your chains. Funny, considering how few people chose to wear what hurts them."

Umbra's hands twitched and her grip on the knife tightened. "It was my choice wizard. And I'm keeping people from getting hurt." Radagast _hmphed_ but let Gandalf lead him away to talk about someone called the Necromancer and the Company dissolved into little groups. Umbra sheathed her knife and sat on a tree root, digging her palms into her closed eyes.

Someone coughed and she looked up. Thorin was standing in front of her and her hand flew to the knife at her side. The close presence were-dwarf always seemed to demand wariness from her.

"It seems that I must thank you for saving my Company." He said curtly.

"It was nothing Oakenshield. I was glad to do it." The dwarf nodded once and left. His spot was instantly taken by Bilbo and Bifur.

Bifur was signing before Bilbo even opened his mouth **_What did the funny wizard mean, your chains?_**

Umbra's tired smile was hidden by her hood. "Nothing you two need to concern yourselves with." They looked doubtful. "Look, it's nothing to worry about. I made my choice a long time ago." Bilbo opened his mouth but was cut off by a loud howl.

"Oh please tell me that's not what I think it is." Umbra whispered, standing with knives in hand. "Please tell me that's a wolf."

"Wolf? No that's not a wolf." Bofur said.

A low growl was their only warning before a warg lunged into the clearing. Thorin's sword, which Umbra didn't recognize, struck the beast's neck a split second after two daggers landed in its side. While Thorin struggled to remove his sword, Kili shot a second warg, who fell to Dwalin's ax.

"Warg scouts!" Thorin said, finally removing his new sword. "Which means an orc pack is not for behind."

"Crap." Bilbo muttered.

"Who did you tell of your quest, beyond your kin?" Gandalf asked.

"No one."

"Who did you tell?!"

"No one I swear!" Thorin yelled. "What in Durin's name is going on?"

"You are being hunted." Gandalf said. Umbra pulled her knife out of the dead warg and tossed the other to Nori, recognizing it as one he kept in his sleeve. "We must leave now."

"We can't, we have no ponies! They bolted." Ori cried, coming from where he'd been checking on their mounts.

"I'll draw them off." Radagast said with a grin.

"These are Gundabad Wargs! They will out run you." Gandalf said.

Radagast drew himself up proudly. "These are Rhosgobel rabbits. I'd like to see them try."

Umbra interrupted. "Look, if anything can outrun a pack of wargs it's a Rhosgobel rabbit Gandalf. Now let's go, before the orcs come and kill us all!" And off they went.

Radagast went first, leading the orc pack on a merry chase around the plains. Umbra had meant what she said, those rabbits were fast. It wasn't till later, when the brown wizard ended up leading the pack in circles and cutting off the company that they realized that they really should have told him where they were going. Umbra wasn't even entirely sure they knew, though by the look on his face Gandalf had an idea.

At the moment they were pressed against a boulder, some trembling slightly as a warg and orc stood on top of the giant rock. Everyone knew full well that it would be very risky to shoot them. Any self-respecting pack animal wouldn't go down with out doing their best to alert the rest of the pack to the danger. And wargs were pack animals.

But the warg's nose was good and any moment now it was likely to jump down on them. Thorin nodded to Kili, his signal to have the dwarf shoot. Kili set an arrow to his bow, but before he could move a hand grabbed his shoulder and held him back. He and everyone else looked at Umbra with anger and confusion as she shook her head warningly. Bifur heard her mutter "I cannot believe I'm doing this." before she sank into the ground and reappeared, a great distance from the Company but still in the warg's line of sight. It leapt for her with a howl and she took off, running as fast as her short legs could carry her, which was surprisingly fast.

"Run!" said Gandalf. And so they ran.

Unfortunately, the warg's howl had drawn the others of its pack and the were-dwarves soon fund themselves surrounded by wargs and orcs. Kili was firing arrows from his bow while Fili and Nori picked some of with throwing knives and the others fought off any that got to close.

Bilbo twirled his dual swords in his hands after pulling them from the bodies of an orc and warg that had made a foolish leap for him. His sharp eyes darted around looking desperately for Umbra. They found her fighting the orc she had led from them, the warg laying dead a little ways away. Suddenly she tripped and the orc stabbed downwards with his spear.

Bilbo screamed and ran towards the orc, slicing its head from it's shoulders. He looked for Umbra, but the spear was embedded in the ground…

He heard someone yell his name and saw Umbra waving at him from the knot of dwarves. She must have trawled through the ground before the orc's spear hit. He gave a relieved grin and ran towards her.

"Where's Gandalf?" Thorin yelled.

"He's abandoned us!" Dwalin growled.

"This way, you fools!" The wizard yelled, rising from behind a rock, much to everyone's surprise.

"So much for that theory Dwalin." Muttered Bofur as he pushed his brother towards the wizard. His mattock met the face of an orc who dared near his little brother. Once Bombur was safely down the hole Gandalf had found he turned and looked for Bifur. To his immense relief, he saw his cousin running towards them, boar spear in hand, but then an orc intercepted him and knocked Bifur down.

Bofur yelled and charged, but he needn't have worried. Bifur stabbed the orc and when it fell on top of him, pushed it off. Bofur had reached him by this time and he pulled Bifur to his feet and the two ran for the cave. Umbra saw and grabbed Kili, who was still shooting orcs, and they ran for it. Thorin cut down a warg the warg that followed them and once they were down, jumped into the hole.

No sooner had he done that then a horn sounded. Keen ears picked up the sound of hoof beats and suddenly an orc rolled into the cave, and arrow in its back.

If the orc had been alive it would have looked up to find a circle of very sharp blades pointed at it. Thorin poked it with the end of his sword before pulling the arrow out of its body.

"Elves." He growled, throwing it down.

Bofur was checking over Bifur. "You alright cousin?" Bifur nodded and gave him a fond smile, ignoring the tightening in his gut. He muttered something in his rough old Khuzdul that it had taken Bofur ages to learn to reassure the miner, who grinned with relief.

"That's good. You already got one knock to the head, you don't need another!" They laughed softly, and Bofur looked up as Dwalin said "I see a tunnel. Do we follow it or not?"

"Follow it of course!" the hatted dwarf said and they all headed into the tunnel. Bilbo paused and looked back at Umbra, who was rummaging around in her pack.

"Are you okay Umbra?"

"Of course. Just need some water." If Bilbo had been paying more attention he'd have noticed the half-full waterskin hanging on the side of her pack. But he wasn't, and he headed down the tunnel with the dwarves.

But Umbra wasn't okay. The orc hadn't missed, and she muttered a few choice curses while wrapping a layer of bandages tightly around her bleeding stomach with the last of her medicines, having forgotten to replenish her stash in the Shire. Then she stumbled after the Company, hurting and in pain, and blinked as her eyes met bright sunlight at the end.

"This is the valley of Imladris. In the Common Tongue it's know by another name." Gandalf said from behind them. Bilbo smiled.

"Rivendell."

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**_I'll try to put more up soon. in the next chapter or the one after it we'll learn more about Umbra, or rather, we'll learn how little anyone knows about her. Review, and Merry Christmas!_**


	14. Chapter 14

_**Gingah18, thank you so much, you have no idea how happy you're review made me. It's nice to know what people think and I'm glad you like my story. This long chapter's for you.**_

_**Iglishmek**_

Shire Tongue

"The statues were glaring at her.

Not joking. Umbra could feel the, not really malevolence but unwelcomeness emitting from the tall stone warriors. Rivendell did not want her here. She wavered and was forced to lean against one of the accursed statues as the Company crossed the narrow bridge and stood uneasily in front of a giant staircase.

"Mithrandir."

They looked up to see a brown-haired elf walking down the stairs towards them.

"Ah Linder." Gandalf went to the elf, who replied in elfish.

"Are you all right?" Nori muttered to Umbra, who was still leaning against the statue.

She nodded weakly, arms wrapped around her stomach. "Just not feeling my best."

Nori raised an eyebrow. Even seeing barely any of her, he could tell that Umbra was most defiantly not alright and probably off worse then she made out to be. So when the elves rode up on their horses and the rest of the group formed a protective circle, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the middle with Bilbo. Normally, he wouldn't have dared, he knew she was more then capable of taking care of herself.

"Lord Elrond." Gandalf said, drawing attention to the lead elf who wore red armor.

"Gandalf." The other said warmly. "It is good to see you again, my old friend." He dismounted and embraced the wizard. "We were tracking a party of orcs. Strange for them to venture so close to our borders, hmm." He raised an eyebrow at Gandalf. "Something, or some_one_ must have drawn them near."

"Ah well that may have been us." Gandalf replied, gesturing towards the group. Thorin stepped forward.

"Welcome Thorin, son of Thrain." Lord Elrond said gracefully.

"I don't believe we have met."

"You have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thor when he ruled under the mountain."

"Indeed. He made no mention of you." Thorin replied rather rudely.

Umbra muttered something about stuck-up kings under her breath as Bilbo stepped forward. Excuse me. He said, slipping into the Shire Tongue while advancing to the front of the group. Please don't mind our leader, but it has been had a long day and we are all tired. And I do believe a knock on the head made him lose his small sense of politeness. Umbra snorted while the dwarves stared at Bilbo, some wondering if he had insulted him. The hobbit grinned broadly. It is wonderful to see you again Lord Elrond.

Elrond smiled. "And it is good to see you as well, Bilbo Baggins. Come, and bring your Company. There is food." He walked up the stairs, and despite their confusion the dwarves followed, the mention of food lessening their apprehension.

Umbra followed slowly. The pain and nausea caused by her stomach injury coupled with the growing feeling that she was forbidden was making it rather difficult for her. She remembered a few years ago when she had been near the woods of what she now knew to be Lothlórien, she had tried to enter the green forest. A little past the tree line she had turned around and fled, feeling a strong presence willing her away from the forest. Something had not wanted her there, and while it was weaker in Rivendell, she sensed that her stay here would be distinctly uncomfortable.

So she stumbled along behind the Company, keeping them in sight, though no one turned to look. Bilbo was engrossed in a conversation with Dori, who had found a companion in his love of tea in Bilbo a few days ago. Bifur was fussing over his cousins. The two she had worried would check on her were busy, and she preferred it that way. She was used to tending to things on her own.

She fell a bit more behind and so arrived at the terrace a little later then the rest of the Company. Then she sat at the bottom of one of the pillars. There were only two statues here and they couldn't see her where she sat. The statues were not responsible for the unwelcome feeling, she thought so at least, but she felt better out of their line of sight.

Bofur noticed her after the dwarves had sat at tables loaded with salad, Thorin and Gandalf joining Elrond at the high table. "Ya coming lass?"

Umbra did wish he hadn't noticed her; it brought the unwelcome attention of about twenty people. "I think I'll just sit here Master Bofur." She replied, knowing Bilbo would scold her later as this was quite disrespectful to their host. "Besides, I don't really think I'm allowed."

Elrond had stood and was now only a few feet away from her. "It is understandable that you would feel this way, considering the dark magic you are carrying with you."

Umbra went completely still. Some of the Company did as well. "Is this true Umbra? You have a dark magic with you?" Bilbo. He was like her little brother, but she had never told him this. She looked away.

"Just a charm, then." Elrond continued, kneeling and studying her thoughtfully, feeling out the dark charm. Clearly the woman knew about it, but there was something odd about the way the spell was placed. He couldn't tell where she carried it, and it must be somewhere on her person, but it was wrapped around a piece of her aura and there was nothing, angry, about it, which is what he would expect from someone with a dark charm. It was linked to her, in more ways then one, and seemed oddly thin, as if it was nearing the end of a time limit. There was no darkness in her and none of the anger he could see in her aura was directed at that charm. "A very powerful charm though. I admit to being quite curious as to its making."

"I don't suppose you could ask this place to stop pushing me away." She said dryly. "And if the answer is giving up the charm for some time, that's not really going to be possible if I'm to stay."

"And why would that be?"

Umbra pulled off her gloves and showed her hands to the elf lord. Tattooed on the back of her hands were runes, twisting and bold. The black ink, flecked with red, marked her tanned skin. Elrond recognized the runes, it was a charm meant to bind or contain a certain aspect of a being, generally used on someone with magic. There was another side to it, which concealed what exactly the charm was binding from his senses. Frankly, it irked him. He could see it's making as well, blood and moonlight and, surprisingly, no ill will.

"You had this done to yourself, didn't you?" It was the only explanation for the lack of malevolence in the charm.

"Believe me, if it had been forced on me the lines would not be nearly this neat." Umbra replied dryly.

"And what did it cost?"

Her voice hardened. "Something dear." Even without seeing her face, he knew that he would get nothing more out of the woman.

"Well then Mistress, Umbra was it? Join your friends at the table, and I'll ask the house to, as you so accurately put it, stop pushing." He pulled her to her feet and watched her walk slowly to the table, sitting next to Bilbo. Only then did he return to his chair.

Umbra fiddled nervously with her gloves before pulling them back on. The dwarves were staring at her and she didn't like it. "If you're going to say something just get it over with."

Bifur grunted. **_Why would you put a black magic on yourself?_**

She sighed. "Technically, I had it put on me. And I did it because I was scared. Still am."

"How long? How long have you been hiding that from me?" Bilbo was angry; Umbra supposed he had the right.

"I had it done a few years before you were born Bilbo." She nibbled on a piece of lettuce. "You all should eat. It's polite"

"Where's the meat?" Dwalin hissed. Bilbo chuckled and Umbra smiled beneath her hood. She continued smiling throughout Bofur's impromptu dance on some pedestal and the food fight. The unwelcoming, go-away-we-don't-want-you-here feeling had vanished, and she supposed she could thank Lord Elrond for it. The pain from the orc's spear kept her from eating too much, but there were other uses for food. She eyed the jar of strawberry preserves and the plate of rolls thoughtfully.

The roll she had covered with jam hit Nori smack in the face and he turned to glare at her. "That was for the troll comment Master Thief." He chuckled and threw a small tomato at her, rubbing the jam off his face and grinning.

How Umbra lasted till night was a mystery. She started to laugh when Bofur threw a sausage at Bombur who was sitting on a table, (where did they get the meat?) which creaked loudly before breaking and sending the large dwarf to the floor and the other dwarves into loud peals of laughter, but stabbing pain shot through her core and her laughs were cut off in a painful gasp.

Thankfully no one else had noticed, everyone was to busy laughing as Bombur with the help of Ori struggled to his feet, giving his older brother a playful glare. Umbra noticed Bifur's eyes on Bofur, filled with warmth. She didn't know why the dwarf was roasting lettuce over the fire, that would probably taste terrible, but she remembered what Bilbo said about helping the two out a bit.

So when Bifur stood and stretched and began to walk past Bofur, who was still lying on the floor laughing, Umbra, who was leaning against the wall, carefully tripped the badger-like dwarf. He fell on top of Bofur, sending the other dwarves into laughter again, but for those two time seemed to freeze. Then Bifur stood suddenly, muttering in Khuzdul before dashing off. Bofur rose to a sitting position slowly, staring at his cousin's retreating back.

"Best go check on him." Umbra said slyly, though Bofur didn't seem to notice. He ran after Bifur. Umbra smiled and turned to see a wickedly grinning Bilbo. "So you gave them a helping hand after all. Well done." Umbra shrugged.

"They needed it." Bilbo nodded in agreement, putting his pipe in his mouth.

"Did you see the position they were in? If Bifur had noticed he'd have moved a lot sooner!" He chuckled, elbowing Umbra.

Normally that would have been nothing, but Bilbo's pointy elbow had landed right where the orc had stabbed her. Umbra's cry as she collapsed brought the rest of the company's attention to the two non-dwarves and instant worry, for aside from Umbra collapsing there was the obvious sent of blood.

"Sorry Bilbo." Umbra murmured before darkness claimed her at last. Bilbo felt her go limp in his arms as the rest of the dwarves surrounded him. Oin pushed his way to the hobbit's side. "What's wrong with the lass?"

"I'm guessing the orc didn't miss." Bilbo growled as he lifted Umbra's tunic just enough to see the bloody bandages underneath. "Idiot. Why does she do this?" He stood, picking up Umbra with some difficulty, he was strong but she was slightly taller then him which made it tricky. "I need to get her to Lord Elrond." He stopped the dwarves' protests over not letting one of their company into the hands of the elves. "It's not that I doubt your skill Oin, but I know Lord Elrond well and this injury looks deep." Most of the weres, who noticed the slightly elongated teeth and flashing eyes that told them the were-hobbit was trying very hard not to shift, backed away and let him go. Ori followed him, mostly for reassurance.

A few minutes later they were sitting outside a room while Lord Elrond and a couple of other healers worked inside. Bilbo was pacing, more worried then angry for now, while Ori watched. He was worried to, he didn't know Umbra well but he liked her, aside from talking to him after the troll incident he had seen her with Nori a couple of times and his big brother seemed happy around her. That alone was a point in her favor.

The two were's heads snapped up when Lord Elrond came out of the room with the other two healers. Elrond sighed while the two elves left.

"She'll be alright. Fortunately the blade was not poisoned and infection had not yet set in. The wound is deep, but she is recovering well. It is my belief that she will heal soon. I advise you to wait until when she wakes to see her; she is sleeping and greatly needs it." Bilbo nodded and thanked the elf. He and Ori walked back to the camp. Ori looked at the other male.

"You heard Elrond, she'll be alright. And I have faith in her."

"So do I Ori." Bilbo said, smiling tiredly at the young dwarf. "And I'm pleased to hear that you do. Now I need her to wake up so I can kill her for scaring me like this."

ΆβΩ

So Bilbo has the right to be mad. What will happen with Bifur and Bofur? That's next chapter, as well as Umbra in Rivendell.


	15. Chapter 15

_**So this chapter contains smut, which I have never written before, so take that into consideration.**_

_**Iglishmek**_

*Old Khuzdul*

Bifur stormed through the elven halls, stopping only once he reached the rooms that the Company had been offered for the night. The dwarves had refused them in favor of sticking in a group on a terrace, which Bifur thought was stupid, they were passing up a soft bed! But his cousins had joined them, so he had decided to be stupid to.

At the moment he was thankful they hadn't used these rooms, it meant that they were unoccupied. So he sat on a bed and began calling himself every kind of idiot imaginable.

He had nearly kissed his cousin.

When Umbra had tripped him (and he was going to get her for that) he had landed on Bofur, who was laughing that cheerful laugh of his, his heart had nearly stopped. It took him a full minute to realize his position on top of his cousin, so lost was he in the miner's green eyes. Then he came to and ran.

Caught up in cursing at himself, he didn't notice the other person in the room until they sat on the bed next to him. Surprise made him whip out his belt knife and push the person down on the bed his blade at their throat. Then he found himself looking into familiar green eyes and pulled away quickly.

"Well if anyone says the ax made you lose your speed I'll tell them to surprise you." Bofur said dryly, drawing a faint smile from the grumpy dwarf. Bofur looked at Bifur, concerned. His cousin had seemed dissent of late, and it worried him. He seemed a bit more withdrawn, and it reminded Bofur uncomfortably of the time when he'd still been recovering from the orc ax. "Are you alright Bifur? Yah seem, on edge."

*Fine. Just…* he trailed off uncertain of what to say, but thankful that Bofur understood the old Khuzdul he spoke. Signing felt rather, impersonal.

Bofur shifted nervously on the bed. "Um Bifur, I ran into Bilbo when I was looking for you. He said something; well, that he thought you liked me. In a more then family sense." Bifur felt all the blood drain form his face and he moved to stand, but Bofur grabbed his shoulder and held him there. Years of mining does not leave one weak. "And what I'm trying to say is that I like you to, in that way. A lot. Just never felt you'd feel the same so-" his breath caught as he found himself again pressed into the bed by his cousin's weight. "Bifur?"

Bifur looked into his cousin's wide eyes, greener then emeralds. *Do you mean that Bofur?*

The other dwarf swallowed, hoping his cousin didn't realize how arousing this was for him. "Aye Bifur. I do." Then he lost his breath because Bifur was kissing him wildly, roughly. Soft lips moved over his own before parting them, and the tongue battle for dominance was brief, with Bifur victorious. Bifur moved from Bofur's lips to his neck, nipping lightly and relishing the low moans it drew from the were-dwarf beneath him.

*I wanted to do this for a long time, you know.*

"I know." Bofur gasped. "I can feel it." His fingers moved to the ties of Bifur's shirt, unraveling them swiftly and ghosting over the skin beneath. Bifur paused to let Bofur pull his tunic off before doing the same to him, than continued ravishing his neck while his hands moved down the miner's sturdy chest. Bofur wound his fingers through his cousin's hair, pulling and scraping scalp with his fingernails. Bifur groaned.

"Left pocket." Bofur gasped out when Bifur nudged his groin with his knee. Bifur raised an eyebrow at the younger dwarf, holding a bottle of oil. Bofur shrugged slightly embarrassed. "Sometimes I need something aside from me own hand." Bifur grinned and slipped his hand under the waistband of Bofur's pants to grasp his cock, drawing a cry from his miner.

*Ever think of me while you did that?* he asked, moving to rid both of them of their pants.

"Sometimes." Was his answer and the dwarf gave a wicked grin, oiling his fingers.

*One day you'll have to show me.*

"Bifur-ah!" Bofur started as his cousin slipped a finger inside him, thrusting gently. Bifur let his cousin adjust before adding another finger, and later another, seeking out a spot that would have his miner seeing stars. It was easy to tell when he found it; Bofur cried out and arched his back before falling and writhing against the sheets as Bifur rubbed the spot again and again.

"Want you in me." Bofur gasped.

*Hmm I don't know.* Bifur replied slyly. He cocked his head to the side with a grin. *Beg me.*

"Please." Bofur moaned.

*Louder.* he curled his fingers, stroking Bofur at the same time.

"Please Bifur! Need you!" the miner cried out. He whimpered as Bifur withdrew his fingers and kissed him fiercely.

*You're mine Bofur.* he growled, taking the time to leave a violet mark on Bofur's neck before letting the miner fall back against the sheets while he oiled himself. Were's are known for their possessiveness, and in lovers it was unusual for one of them to not be rather dominate. No doubt who the dominate one was here.

Bifur entered his cousin slowly and thrust forward to fully seat himself. He'd like to just stay there but Bofur rolled his hips, desperate for him to move and so he did. Bofur didn't last long, arching and screaming as he came. Bifur finished soon after, the clenching around him driving him to his own climax. He pulled out and flopped down next to Bofur, watching him slowly come down from his peak.

*My cousin.* He said softly. *My Bofur.*

"Always." The other murmured, turning and curling up next to Bifur, who pulled up the blankets around them. The two fell asleep wrapped in each others arms.

…

_It felt like fire streaking across her face, five cuts meant not to impair her but to make her like him…a monster...blood trickled down her face, into the dirt where she lay semiconscious cruel laughter rivaling that of Master echoing in her ears…then she was waking up to the sight of mangled bodies, her hair matted with blood and dirt, they streaked her hands as tiny cuts healed instantly before her eyes but the people still lay dead, she screamed…_

and bolted upright, shoving her hand into her mouth to keep the scream there. It took her a moment to take in her surroundings, to realize she was not back in that field; she was in a room with clean white walls, soft blue curtains blowing gently in the breeze from the window and letting the sunlight shine on the elf maid sitting in the chair next to her.

Umbra nearly jumped fully off the bed in surprise, and then again realizing she was wearing only a white nightgown. She groaned and flopped back on the mattress, wound twitching. "How long was I out?"

"A night and a good part of the morning." The elf replied. Umbra looked at her. She was tall, as all elves were, light-skinned, with midnight-black hair and soft, familiar grey eyes.

"Are you by any chance related to Lord Elrond?"

The elf laughed softly. "He is my father. My name is Arwen. Bilbo has told me quite a bit about you in his past visits, Umbra." Her face took on a more worried expression. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better."

"Then perhaps you would like a bath." She smiled as Umbra's face lit up. "I'll take that as a yes. Just let me examine your wound first." She unraveled the bandages wrapped snugly around Umbra's middle. "Oh my."

"What?" Umbra demanded, moving as if to rise.

"I'm just surprised." Arwen murmured. The orc's spear had nearly run Umbra completely through, fortunately missing her organs and not poisoned. But now it looked several days old. Even Elfish medicine could not have done so much to such a deep wound in so little time. "It's just if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a were." She retied the bandages.

"I was blessed by Yavanna." Umbra said shortly. "I've been a fast healer ever since." Only a partial lie.

Arwen seemed to guess that Umbra wasn't being completely honest, but let it pass. The woman pulled herself out of bed without aid. Arwen pointed her towards the bathing chamber. "I'll be back with some clothes soon."

"If the water's hot, you can take your time." Umbra said and Arwen grinned before leaving.

Umbra moaned as she sank into the bath. It was hot. She hadn't had this luxury in months, and had often regretted not taking the opportunity to take a bath at Bag-End when she'd had the chance. A cold dunk in the river simply did not compare. It was so nice to soak in the steaming water. She eyed the soaps and oils on the side, as much as she appreciated flowers she did not want to smell like a garden. Finding a mild lavender soap she cleaned all the dirt of her and then lathered her thick hair. Umbra liked her hair.

She would have sat there for longer but now there was a lot of dirt (ugh) and soap suds in the water so she got out, wrapped a towel snugly around herself and poked her head out of the bathing room. Her face fell.

"I really don't do dresses."

"All of your stuff is being washed. And this will look lovely on you, trust me." Arwen said. Umbra fingered the soft fabric reluctantly.

"I don't think I've ever worn a dress." She muttered, shifting her feet.

"Well, there's a first time for everything, isn't there?" Arwen said gently. "Come on, I'll help you."

It took a while to get Umbra into the dress and for Arwen to brush her hair. Since no one had done this for her since Belladonna's death, Umbra allowed it and hummed an old song softly to herself. She refused the shoes though, saying that if her boots were being washed she'd go barefoot, having done it often enough in the Shire. Arwen shrugged and pointed Umbra to her knives, which had been cleaned and polished. The knife she wore around her neck had never been removed and she slipped another one in between her breasts, one on her leg, than picked up the one that kept her hair in a bun.

"I think you should leave your hair down." Arwen said. Umbra sighed and put down the knife.

"It's just, I feel so, vulnerable." She muttered. Arwen smiled gently.

"I know. Sometimes the rangers come here and they all carry at least a belt knife. Have you even looked in the mirror? You look beautiful."

"Anyone could in this dress." Umbra replied but turned to look and her eyes widened slightly. She did look good. The dress was deep blue with a sheer overlay of green that shimmered in the light. It fell to her ankles, the hem just above the ground; she could run in this dress. The sleeves where short and left her shoulders bare, revealing the top of a tattoo she'd had forever and another one on her forearm. The color flattered both her hair, which fell to her waist when fully brushed, and her large eyes.

"The dwarves are missing out." Arwen said, squeezing Umbra's shoulder.

"I beg to differ." Umbra whispered, gently touching the white scars that marred her cheek. Arwen sighed.

"Even with your scars you are beautiful. And I believe your friends would see them as signs of strength. All of them, and I saw quite a few of them while I was dressing you." She said, referring to the old scars marking Umbra's body. She squeezed the shorter woman's shoulder gently. "Why don't you go see them, see what they think?"

"If it's alright I think I'll stay here."

"I wouldn't advise that." Umbra looked up curiously. "Bilbo is supposed to come check on you at noon, and it's nearly that. And I don't think I need to tell you that he wasn't happy about you concealing your injury from him."

Umbra winced. "I'd better get out of here then." She looked up at Arwen pleadingly. "No spare cloak?"

Arwen shook her head and Umbra groaned. "Thanks anyway, for everything." Unbidden, she fingered the dress. "I'd better go."

Arwen laughed. "Yes, you better." Umbra nodded and quickly left to spend a day avoiding both Bilbo and the dwarves. Arwen sighed. She didn't completely understand Umbra's desire for secrecy, but she felt that it would be good for the other woman to spend a day unhidden by her cloak. Valar knew it would help to feel the sun on her skin.

ΆβΩ

_**I'll try to have more of Rivendell up soon, I know what I want I just need to figure out how to write it. Any requests?**_


	16. Chapter 16 How Little We Know

_**Well this is a long chapter, mostly because of the song, which I do not own, it's "Laddie are ye working?" by Heather Alexander, I advise listening to it. Happy New Year everyone!**_

_**Iglishmek**_

Rivendell was beautiful.

Umbra was noticing this as she tore through the hallways, trying to hide from an angry were-hobbit.

She knew that it was thanks to Bilbo's sense of smell that he had found her so quickly, and was quietly cursing that, and his speed, as she darted out into the open training field. She also knew that only the twisty hallways and her own barely detectable scent had kept her ahead of him, outside she would soon be overrun.

High on a lofty terrace the Lady Galadriel watched as the young woman fled the were-hobbit. Lord Elrond had told her what little he knew of the woman, gathered from what he saw in her aura and Gandalf's own small knowledge. The wizard had known there was some darkness about her but sensing no ill will had said nothing.

Suddenly the woman below put on a huge spurt of speed that sent her from one end of the large training field to the other in seconds. Galadriel raised an eyebrow. She had seen alpha weres move slower then that. Not by much, but by enough to notice. No human, dwarf, elf or hobbit could match a healthy, and sometimes an unhealthy, were in strength or speed.

Slowly she reached out and touched the woman's mind, careful not to startle her. _Come to me. Use your gift and slip through the trees to the vines. Follow my voice._ She felt the woman's emotions, confusion, hesitance and wariness along with her assent. The elf-woman turned to see the much smaller form of the other woman emerge from the vines that entwined the pillars.

Umbra eyed the elf warily. She had long, pale golden hair that fell in waves past her waist and keen blue eyes. There was an elegant silver circlet on her head. She wore a long white dress and her height made her seem slightly imposing, but her smile and eyes were kind.

Galadriel observed the woman carefully. From Elrond she knew that she was an assassin and went by the name Azure in that business, that she had been healed and gifted by Yavanna, and that she had a charm created by black magic tattooed on her hands. She could see them now as the woman wore no gloves. On her forearm was the tattoo of a lily, but Galadriel could see the outline of an old scar beneath it. By elfish reckoning, the woman was young, almost all of middle-Earth's people were, but there was something in her eyes that spoke of pain none should have to feel. Yet there was strength in her, and perhaps a leader.

"Lord Elrond told me that you go by the name Umbra." Galadriel said her voice soft. The woman nodded. "But it is not your real name."

Umbra leaned carefully against the pillar, mindful of the vines. "Forgive my rudeness, but I do not see why it is your business."

"I suppose it isn't." Galadriel replied. "May I see your hands?"

Umbra hesitated, but stepped forward and let the elf hold her hands, examining the charm inked onto her skin. Galadriel could sense little more then Elrond about the charm itself, but in probing the girl's aura found the charm and pushed through it to find what it hid, not breaking it, just seeing.

Umbra gasped, feeling as if a bucket of ice had been emptied over her, and the elf's grip suddenly tightened around her like a manacle, but released her just as quickly. "What did you do?"

Galadriel sighed sadly. "Poor child, I see now what you have long hidden and understand why you were so frightened. But it is evil to bind oneself. Why did you not seek out help?"

Umbra gave a bitter laugh completely devoid of humor. "I sought out help, just not the kind you think I should have. Who would ever have helped me, the nameless child who knew the crack of the whip instead of her mother's voice? Belladonna took me in and loved me, but the dwarf made me into a monster and nothing could tame it. So I made sure that I wouldn't hurt anyone ever again and I gave up the one thing that ever meant anything to me as a child so that the witch could cast this charm. And these fifty-four years have been bliss, never having to worry about separating myself so that no one would be hurt just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, never fearing that I would change and lash out in anger, never fearing the night when the moon would rise and every nerve in my body would scream in pain that made me want to burst so that it would stop and when it did, seeing the world as nothing but prey, and me the greatest hunter of them all, so ready to kill…"

She was crying by the end and Galadriel saw how she had been fighting her own nature for years, that of one who needed others but was forced to separate herself, an assassin spent little time with people after all. For her nature was that of an alpha wolf even before what had caused her to place that curse, for it was a curse to limit oneself to this extent, and no alpha wolf can go with out a family or pack to care for. It took away all they were meant to lived for.

"It is a curse what you have done to yourself; you might as well have cut off a limb." Umbra snorted and turned to leave, heading down the stairs. Galadriel raised her voice, wanting to be sure the woman heard. "You don't have as much time as you think, little one. You would never have run so fast if your charm was not nearing its end." But Umbra was already to far down the stairs to hear.

She ran again, loving the feeling of wind ripping past her, the almost-freedom of rushing like there was nothing beneath your feet and at any moment you might leave the ground completely. Then she bumped into Bilbo and they both went tumbling to the ground.

Bilbo started talking the moment he realized who had bumped into him, which was before either of them could began to stand. "What were you thinking?! You went all day with an injury that could have been poisoned and was deep enough to do serious damage even without that, with a bandage tied worse then a faunt's work…"

Umbra let him rant. She had known that it would come eventually and really his worry touched her. Finally she stood and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Bilbo, I really am. But you know I'm use to taking care of stuff on my own. I would have been fine if I hadn't been so tired. I'm sorry I scared you."

Bilbo sighed and hugged her tightly, Umbra placing her chin on his head. "I was scared." He whispered. "I already lost my parents to the orcs; I don't want to lose you to sister."

"I know." They stayed like that for a few minutes before Bilbo pulled away and his eyes got huge. "What are you wearing?"

"Arwen is the guilty party I'm afraid. Apparently my clothes are being watched and they won't give someone a tunic and pants regardless of how absolutely stupid they feel-"

"Stupid? Umbra you idiot, you look beautiful." He grinned. "Why, if I didn't like males and you weren't practically my sister…" He was cut off when Umbra slapped him upside the head, glaring but with amusement in her eyes. He continued as they walked on, "You should come like this to dinner, in the dress, no cloak. I think it is past time they saw your face."

"No Bilbo. I will wear the dress but with a cloak. This is not one battle you will win." Unconsciously she touched the scars on her face. "I've grown fond of some of them; I don't want to see them turn away from me."

"I find that unlikely, but I'll take you to the stables." At her puzzled look he explained, "The elves found our ponies and brought them to the stables. I believe you have a spare cloak in Laurel's pack, yes?" She did, and they spent some time in the stables, Umbra talking eagerly to Laurel for she knew that with the next portion of their journey being the Misty Mountains, no ponies would be coming.

"Oh, I was wondering," said Bilbo as they left the stables, Umbra with her cloak but leaving the hood down for now, "Gandalf insisted on giving me this sword from the troll hoard. I was wondering if you could help me learn to use it, since I'm used to the dual swords and don't work with one often."

"I don't think I'm the right person to ask Bilbo, my sword skills are rusty. They were never my favorite weapon and I mostly used them because Belladonna liked them, but I stopped not long after she died. But try asking the princes or Dwalin, they might be able to teach you. Or maybe an elf, you told me you've been here before, so if you know anyone ask them. And I might join you, like I said, my sword skills are rusty."

They passed a fountain, triggering a memory for Bilbo.

"Guess what I saw earlier?".

"What?"

"All of the dwarves, except for Thorin, bathing butt-nacked in the fountain."

Umbra went completely still and her jaw dropped. "Well that isn't something you see everyday." She said finally.

"No." He laughed. "But I didn't find there much to see."

"Of course you wouldn't. You like Thorin, and he wasn't there."

Bilbo growled and tried to cuff her head, but she ducked, giggling. Then an idea came to him. "Speaking of dwarves we're interested in, Nori looked thin but very well muscled-" Umbra yelped and he darted down the hall, glancing back to see her running after him, blushing madly.

Later they arrived at where the dwarves had slept the night before and where many of them were now lounging contentedly. Umbra pulled up her hood before anyone saw her, and just in time to, Bifur walked up and cuffed her on the head before signing **_That was for tripping me._**

"Oh. Well-" She was cut of when the dwarf suddenly hugged her tightly. **_That was for tripping me._** Puzzled, Umbra followed him with her eyes as he went and sat by Bofur, kissing the other dwarf lightly on the lips.

Umbra grinned broadly. "Well it's about time that happened." She said, sitting next to the couple. Bofur gave her a warm smile, hearing about her tripping Bifur from said cousin. Both of the dwarves seemed much more cheerful and she felt an overwhelming swell of happiness for the two.

"Gave us all quite the start when they walked in the room, since we could smell it." said Dori, who was talking to Oin about teas. "But no one has any problems, which is good."

Umbra hummed in agreement, watching the other dwarves. Nori was smoking his pipe quietly in the corner, Bombur was munching on some bread he'd gotten from somewhere, Ori was sketching while Dwalin watched and tried to look like he wasn't. Bilbo was smoking as well, watching the sun set. Balin, Thorin, and Gloin where elsewhere, but Fili and Kili, she realized, where staring straight at her.

She shifted uneasily and tugged at her cloak to make sure it covered her face. "Something you want to ask boys?"

"We were just wondering, if you don't mind us asking, what exactly are you, Miss Umbra?" She went completely still. Bilbo turned to her as Kili picked up where his brother left off. "I mean, we don't know what you look like except that you're short and you wear boots so you can't be a hobbit and we were just wondering-"

Fili clamped his hand over his brother's mouth, noting what Kili hadn't, that Umbra had clenched her hands so tightly that her knuckles were white. Other of the dwarves turned to look as well.

"I don't know." She whispered.

"What was that lass?" Oin asked.

"I said I don't know!" She yelled, rising and storming over to the balcony. Bilbo watched her slowly calm herself, touching the blossoms of the vines that climbed the walls of Rivendell.

"I don't know what I am. I never knew my parents. I don't know my real name, or how old I am. My ears are round, and if I was a dwarf I'd have a beard by know, but I'm too old to be a human and as you noticed, I need shoes so I'm clearly not a hobbit."

"But you said you didn't know how old you were so-"

"Belladonna guessed I was about twelve when she met me and it's been a hundred years since then."

"How long have you had the charm?" Everyone looked at Ori who seemed slightly embarrassed. "Just wondering."

"About fifty-four years. I have to renew it before another year passes or I will never be able to get it again. That was part of our deal."

"Sing that song Umbra. The one from your childhood."

"Childhood implies something pleasant, and mine was anything but Bilbo." Umbra said dryly. "Why?"

"Because you told me there were good memories buried in that song."

"More bad then good."

Ori spoke up. "If someone here's heard it, could we figure out where you came from?"

A bitter laugh. "I already know that someone here, aside from Bilbo, has heard it." Umbra shrugged. "But if you insist." She cleared her throat then sang:

Darkness hangin' in the sky in the morn  
>Moonlight dyin' as the sun is reborn<br>Crops are swayin' in an island of green  
>Hemp and teth and corn in between<p>

Cut her low  
>Swing her 'round<br>Iron wire tightly bound  
>Thresh the teff by the morning lark<br>Lie in her arms in the still of dark  
>Laddie, are you workin'?<p>

Sunlight shinin' on the heart of the land  
>Crops are bendin' to the part nature planned<br>Who'd be thinkin' that they'd end from that start  
>Cut and ripped and shredded apart?<p>

Cut her low  
>Swing her 'round<br>Iron wire tightly bound  
>Thresh the teff by the morning lark<br>Lie in her arms in the still of dark  
>Laddie, are you workin'?<p>

Storm clouds gather as the hands to the field  
>Raindrops scatter as the land's made to yield<br>Body's separate from its fine, golden head  
>Stalk and sheath and chafe for a bed<p>

Cut her low  
>Swing her 'round<br>Iron wire tightly bound  
>Thresh the teff by the morning lark<br>Lie in her arms in the still of dark  
>Laddie, are you workin'?<p>

Stars are twinkling' and the moon's resin' high  
>Dark is waiting' for the sunlight to die<br>Memories harkens to the Emerald Isle  
>Sing and sleep and dream for a while<p>

Cut her low  
>Swing her 'round<br>Iron wire tightly bound  
>Thresh the tiff by the morning lark<br>Lie in her arms in the still of dark  
>Ladies, are you working'?<p>

Cut us low  
>Swing us 'round<br>Iron shackles tightly bound  
>Thrash your soul by the morning lark<br>Lie with your dreams in the dead of dark  
>Ladies, are you working'?<p>

She was by no means one of the greatest singers, but her voice was clear and full of memories, both the good and the bad Bilbo knew. She had told him none of them, but he understood that the song, despite the bad memories, comforted her in some odd way, and he saw that she had completely relaxed.

The song also had a strong effect on Nori. At the first round of the chorus he had joined in, their soft voices lulling the dwarves if not for the pain in them. When it had finished Umbra turned and she and Nori stared at each other.

Finally Nori spoke. "There are few alive who know that song."

"I wish I didn't."

Nori opened his mouth to speak again while everyone stared at them, wondering what had happened, when Gloin walked in. "Dinner lads. And apparently, there's meat!"

All the dwarves scrambled to stand, rushing out of the terrace. Dori and Ori tried to get their brother to talk about that song, a song neither of them had heard him sing in years, but Nori remained tight-lipped. One thing was for sure though, he was going to find out how Umbra knew that song, while praying for her sake that it wasn't the obvious.

ΆβΩ

_**So how do they both know that song? Any guesses?**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Call this a late New Year's present**_._** Enjoy, and please review.**_

_**Iglishmek**_

Dinner turned out to be much better then lunch the previous day. Aside from the vegetable stew, rolls, and small cakes, there were roasted rabbits and quail. Lord Elrond revealed to Thorin that because the elves rarely ate meat, they had had little on hand when the dwarves arrived.

The dwarves were enjoying themselves, there was slightly less food thrown around (they were dwarves after all, food fights were frequent when there was enough food) and the elf maidens were not playing tonight, so Bofur, Nori, and Dwalin pulled out their instruments (a flute, a pipe, and a fiddle) and started playing a merry song. The others soon added their voices to the melody. Thorin joined in much later on his harp, something that completely shocked Bilbo. Somehow he had never imagined the proud and imperious dwarf to play a song such as this, so cheery and, he realized, a tavern song. He grinned slightly and watched the joyful dwarves.

Umbra watched the hobbit she called brother with a warm smile. She knew of his attraction to Thorin, though it'd be like pulling teeth to get him to admit it. He'd likely go on a rant about how stubborn and annoying the dwarf was and insert something about how handsome he looked the few times he smiled-Umbra smirked at the thought.

Her gaze turned to Bifur and Bofur and her smirk again became a warm smile. They deserved happiness, and it heartened her to see someone she considered a good friend so happy.

Continuing her were-dwarf watching, her eyes landed on Dori, who was in deep discussion with Oin. She smirked again, wondering if anyone noticed that the two were attracted to each other. The older, feisty healer and the fussy, silver-haired dwarf. Honestly, she thought a mate would be good for Dori; he might start giving Ori some more space to do courting of his own. Speaking of which, where was Ori? And where had Fili and Kili gotten off to?

The scribe was sitting at the base of a pillar not to far from her, of the Durin brothers there was no sign. Ori was drawing in his journal, and every now and then his eyes flicked upward towards the three dwarves playing, and unless Umbra was very much mistaken, they lingered on Dwalin each time. Dori might have a heart attack when he realized Ori liked the guardsman. And Nori? He probably wouldn't like it but she'd be surprised if he didn't know. He was observant.

Gloin wasn't there, he had been sent by Thorin to the kitchens where Elrond had promised there would be food and new supplies for their journey.

Bombur was talking to a dark-haired elf. The two were in the middle of an avid discussion, knowing Bombur probably about food. Perhaps this was one of the cooks. Either way, it was good to see that not all dwarves were as prejudiced as Thorin.

His grumpy Majesty had stopped playing and was now taking quietly to Balin. The white-bearded had been watching the proceedings with a grandfatherly smile on his face before Thorin interrupted. Then he and Balin stood, Balin gesturing at Bilbo to follow him. Umbra watched with a slight frown before she saw Gandalf and Elrond accompanying them, they must be going to read the map. Suddenly she felt eyes on her.

She turned to see Nori watching her. The dwarf was wondering how she knew that song. Many times she wished she didn't.

Anxious to avoid the question she knew would come sooner or later she stood and left the group. She was barefoot, her shoes had been returned but she liked the feel of the cool marble, and she wore her cloak over her normal clothes. Once she was out of sight, she removed the hood and let her hair fall down her back.

When she reached the gardens she took off her hood and ran, darting between the well-tended flowerbeds on smooth paths and light feet. She laughed with joy at her speed, hair streaming out behind her.

Suddenly she stopped. There was no way she could be this fast. Not unless-

Umbra paled. No. It had only been fifty-four years. She had time. She had to have time. But there was no way she could be this fast unless the charm was coming to an end. Maybe what the witch had meant by it beginning to wear off a little before the end was a year before? It was fragile and she barely believed it but she clung to that thought and pushed her doubts far into the back of her mind.

Soft growls startled her and she crept around a rose bush to see the field beyond the garden. Two wolves were play-fighting there, one golden, one dark brown.

Umbra smiled, so this was where Fili and Kili had gotten off to. The two seemed to enjoy sparring of any sort between each other. Put them in a practice match with Dwalin, for example, and no doubt would they try to get out of it.

She watched the two younglings till Fili pined Kili beneath him and stopped. She saw the two wolves freeze, staring into each other's eyes. Then an owl hooted somewhere and they jerked, Fili leaping off his brother and Kili standing in a rush. The two shifted back to dwarf-form and dressed hurriedly, each shooting small glances at the other.

Umbra sighed. Almost. She raced ahead of the brothers, fastening her cloak around her throat and throwing her hood over her face. She arrived where the dwarves still sat, and Fili and Kili were in time to hear Thorin say that they would be leaving before first light so to get what sleep they could. It was a shame, she had been looking forward to a few more nights in a soft bed, but it would seem that she'd have to be content with a few hours.

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	18. Chapter 18

**_Not much, a bit about the Ri brother's past and, possibly, Umbra's. Enjoy, and please, PLEASE review._**

**_I_****_glishmek_**

They left, as Thorin had requested, at first light. Bilbo told Umbra about the instructions written in moon runes on the map.

"So do you believe me now, about Rivendell? Have I not told you that it is a wonderful place to stay?" He asked.

Umbra smiled, and they both turned to look back at the valley. "It is a lovely place."

"Master Baggins, Mistress Umbra. I suggest you keep up." Thorin said.

The two grumbled under their breath as they continued their trudge up the mountain. "Show me that sword of yours when we stop for the night Bilbo."

Nori was deep in thought. He was going through a list of all the people he had met at that Mahal forsaken place, trying to think if any had been dwarves. It wasn't something many had talked about, when there was energy or willingness for talk, so one of the children there could easily have been a dwarf and he simply had not known. Of course his nose could tell him, but the scents from that time were one thing he did not remember clearly. He just wished he knew what Umbra looked like. He remembered everyone's face almost perfectly. Some more so then others.

His thoughts turned to the child he had called Zâram. He remembered her clearly, beautiful eyes and light hair that had been shorn short and ragged. The poor child had not even known she had or was deserving of a name when he met her, and he thought she must have been about ten, maybe older. So he had decided to call her Zâram, which was Khuzdul for a lake or pool, for her eyes had reminded him of a small pool hidden deep within Erebor, which he had explored often as a youth before the dragon. He remembered little Zâram's joy when he had given her that name, and her clumsy attempts to braid his hair, a pastime that required no thought and let the daily pain, for a time, be forgotten.

He pushed thoughts of the dear child away. He had escaped, and she had refused to let him try to bring her, because her leg was broken and she knew she wouldn't be making it. But Nori had wanted so badly to bring her home with him, the child had touched his heart in a way none of the other slaves had. He wished to save all, but if he could save only one- But they had heard the dogs howling and she urged him to flee after making him promise her that he may send what help he could, but he was never to be a slave again. These thoughts were painful, and again he pushed them away, this time burying them far in the back of his mind.

Dori watched his brother, concerned. Years, decades ago, after Erebor had fallen and but before they had reached the Blue Mountains, when Nori was below his majority but, like many younglings then, an adult in mind, his little brother had been a slave. On some "business" he had been captured, and had not returned to them for almost two years. Though he was a were, exhaustion and constant labor as well as beatings had slowed his healing, and many of his injuries had gotten infected. He and Ori had nearly lost their brother then. Once his sickness was gone but still stayed in bed, perhaps two months later, Dori had gone to Thorin and the prince had led a party of warriors after the slavers. These particular men had been taking dwarves for a while it seemed. They had destroyed the slavers' post and the place where Nori had been kept, freeing many other slaves, human and dwarf alike. While there, Dori had looked for a slave Nori had asked him to seek, a girl child who smelled like chilies. But he had found none with that smell or matching Nori's rather accurate description of her. He remembered the heartbroken look on his brother's face when he told him that he hadn't found little Zâram. He'd never heard Nori speak of his time as a slave after that, but he knew that his brother occasionally woke up from nightmares, and, though it was never confirmed, he suspected that some were from that time.

Ori watched his brothers worry and did some worrying himself. He remembered clearly when Nori had returned from his two years of slavery, beaten and ill, mumbling to himself and screaming in fever dreams. Sometimes, when he was more lucid, he told Ori about his time there, because the younger had convinced him that it would help. He never told his baby brother the worse things he had seen, he concentrated on the other slaves for the most part. Old Molly, too old to work the fields so doctored the slaves and looked after the young ones, John, a human who had been whipped so many times his back was little but scar tissue, Gin, a dwarf who worked in the kitchens, and Zâram, one of five children there, who had instantly attached herself to the new slave but seemed afraid of everyone else. Nori said her eyes were larger then Bombur's plates when he named her. He had made her a knotted bracelet out of spare twine and some blue and green beads he'd found lying around. He'd cared for that girl so much, but wondered how she had not broken, because Mel told him that the child had practically been raised there. He had caught Nori crying often during his healing and for some time afterwards. It had hurt him to see Nori hurting so, and to see Dori hurting, believing he had somehow failed his brother though Nori eventually convinced him otherwise.

Deciding that his brothers had spent enough time in bad memories, he walked forward and grabbed their hands. Both of them looked at him in surprise, and he squeezed their fingers. "Let's go for a run when we stop for the night. Just the three of us." Dori and Nori nodded with the barest hesitation, each giving their baby brother a warm smile. They walked hand in hand till evening came, when the Company stopped and the three ran as wolves together under the stars.

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End file.
